The Kollam Corporation has resumed GIS mapping and Intelligent Property Management System (IPMS) survey to facilitate technology-based planning. The survey had hit a road block earlier due to resistance from the residents and allegations of data leak, forcing the authorities to stop it temporarily. “The work was not making much headway due to COVID-19. We also had to take a break for local body elections. It was decided to carry on with the survey after a 19-member technical committee, including experts and department heads, assessed its progress,” said officials. At present the drone and GPS surveys for documenting geographic and infrastructural details have been completed along with the web portal.
Right beneficiaries
As part of the survey all buildings and other topographic and infrastructural details including landmarks, waterbodies, bridges, wetlands, fallow lands, traffic junctions and parking areas will be mapped and stored using technologies like drone and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). According to officials, GIS mapping of the Corporation has been conceived in a way to expedite overall development and ensure that various projects and welfare schemes are reaching the right beneficiaries. “Kollam is the first Corporation implementing such a project and after its completion we are expecting some major changes in project formulation and implementation, town planning, disaster management, and waste treatment.”
The Corporation had outsourced the works to ULTS, a subsidiary of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) and in November 2020 the opposition alleged that ULTS has been conducting unauthorised surveys and uploading the data in their private server. They had claimed that the questionnaire included around 200 questions and most of them were health-related following which the Corporation had stopped the survey and ordered a probe.
Currently the civic body has sought the cooperation of residents in completing the survey. “The residents will not be asked to share any personal information, but building number and other details required for different social welfare projects should be provided,” said the officials.
