NEW DELHI: MCD’s geotagging project has not been successful, only a few property owners have complied.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) faced another setback with its ambitious geotagging project, as it did not receive the anticipated response. A few days after the MCD deadline for geotagging commercial and residential properties expired, only 3,80,000 premises have been geotagged by their owners, according to data from the civic body.
Individuals who geotag their premises are entitled to a 10% rebate on the advance payment of property tax, but the civic body has received a varied response so far.
Previously, many property taxpayers reported technical issues that hindered them from submitting their details to the civic body. A spokesperson for the MCD stated that upcoming phases of the geotagging project will be presented to the council in the next meeting, the date of which is yet to be determined.
Earlier, on June 5, 2023, MCD launched a mobile app allowing property owners to geotag their properties. By December 7, MCD aimed to geotag 15,00,000 houses, but the response was tepid. The deadline was subsequently extended several times—first to February 29, then to March 31, and finally to June 30. However, as of July 4, only 3,86,591 properties had been geotagged by their owners.
Sources within the MCD said that the civic body is contemplating financial incentives to encourage more property owners to participate in geotagging. “We are considering a proposal to provide a 2% incentive on property tax, capped at Rs 500, to encourage greater participation in geotagging. However, this proposal will require approval from the House of Councillors,” they stated.
Geotagging of properties involves assigning a distinct latitude and longitude to each property on a geographic information system (GIS) map. The MCD has mandated geotagging of properties to expand the property tax base. Delhi is believed to have over 3 million buildings, yet only 1.3 million are currently registered with the corporation.