DEHRADUN: Dehradun Municipal Corporation’s pilot programme for drone survey of properties for submission of taxes, which started in 2021,will soon be finished, claim officials.
The project started from Kaulagarh in December 2021 and was expected to be complete within two years. However, actual number of properties in Dehradun exceeded initial estimate of 3.6 lakh resulting in a year’s extension.
Tax superintendent Dharmesh Panauli said, “Survey for 75 wards was completed — reports for 65 of these are already submitted. The rest is expected to be wrapped up by end of this financial year.”
As part of the project, drone mapping, which gives a base map of properties, is superimposed with physical surveys giving a more accurate picture of the properties in Dehradun.
Officials said this will reduce property tax evasion, especially in cases where owners often show reduced property sizes to avoid paying the entire amount. DMC has already collected Rs 43 crore in taxes for the current financial year (which has a target of Rs 60 crore), 50% of which is through online channels. “With less than two months left for the financial year to end, we are focusing on identifying defaulters and taking action against them,” said the commissioner.
