Every ULB has a citizen service centre and app ‘Citizen’s Buddy’

It is now possible to get information about most properties in urban areas of Telangana online with the office of Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA) successfully satellite mapping all the 12.5 lakh properties listed in the 72 urban local bodies spread across the State.

Satellite mapping and geo-tagging of the urban properties was taken up earlier this year and was completed last month with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) here.

Properties, both private and government along with vacant plots have been mapped, geo-tagged and matched with ground-based survey by the bill collectors concerned who were also trained to take photographs from 10 metres distance of the front and side portions of the each property.

Bhuvan platform

The NRSC’s ‘Bhuvan’ online geoportal platform was utilised for map visualisation and satellite images absolutely free. These were integrated with the available house numbers, property tax and registration details in the TS Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) except GHMC, according to CDMA T.K. Sreedevi.

While digital land registry was completed for properties available on municipal records so that each of these can be accessed online, the challenge now is use the data to unearth unassessed and under-assessed properties in urban areas because of the likely discrepancies in the ground-level data. “Even with the available digital data we have been able to issue about 12,000 property notices to the owners for under-assessments or non-assessments in different municipalities for this year,” she said.

Online services on rise

The CDMA which has initiated online municipal services and complaints redressal has been able to find a solution to 38,753 applications/complaints as against 47,855 received in the last few months with 9,102 pending.

Every ULB now has a citizen service centre and mobile app ‘Citizen’s Buddy’ (available on Google store) covering 23 services too has been finding lot of traction with 1.9 lakh downloads, informed Ms. Sreedevi.

Property tax issues, trade licenses, water connections, road cutting permissions, building permissions, birth/death certificates, officers connect, etc., are all available on the app. Apart from TWallet, online payment is possible through SBI, HDFC, Bill Desk and ICICI gateways.

“Our online services and mobile app helps citizens check their application/grievance status throughout. Alerts through messages, app notifications, etc., are sent so that staff are aware of their own performance while the department heads can monitor the service delivery rate,” she averred, urging more citizens to utilise the online services.