Bengaluru to expand drone-based property survey to all its wards
After a pilot survey of the Jayanagar ward using drones, the Bengaluru revenue department is expanding the drone-based project to all wards in Bengaluru. This is one more step towards implementing the ambitious Urban Property Ownership Records (UPOR) project, which initially failed in five cities
Published -
Dec 13, 2018 8:28 AM
After a pilot survey of the Jayanagar ward using drones, the Bengaluru revenue department is expanding the drone-based project to all wards in Bengaluru. This is one more step towards implementing the ambitious Urban Property Ownership Records (UPOR) project, which initially failed in five cities of the state. The UPOR project, initiated in 2009, guarantees property ownership records to all property owners in cities. An ownership card authenticates the property and prevents tampering of documents. Nine years after the project was launched in Karnataka, the revenue department took it up in the Jayanagar ward in July 2018. For the first time, the survey was carried out with the help of drones deployed by the Survey of India. A similar pilot was carried out in Ramanagara too. Officials who oversaw the survey said it was successful considering that the error margin was 5-7 cm. This is acceptable, they pointed out. “After we got the drone survey data, we verified it by visiting the field and comparing the dimensions in drone sketches with the actual dimensions. The low error margin implies the pilot is successful and that we can go ahead with the project for the rest of Bengaluru,” said Munish Moudgil, commissioner, Survey, Settlement and Land Records. The survey has already been expanded to 60 wards in Bengaluru. Work in the other wards and in five districts — Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Hassan, Karwar, Belagavi — is expected to begin next month. The revenue department is entering into an agreement with the Survey of India to procure drones and obtain technical support. “We will need at least 40 drones to initiate the survey. At the end, we would like to own at least 100-200 drones which will help us survey all properties in the state,” the commissioner said. Apparently, 40 drones can survey the 23-lakh properties in Bengaluru in 20 days. The department has marked ?100 crore for the project — ?75 crore will be paid to the Survey of India for establishing infrastructure, purchase of drones and seeking technical support while ?25 crore will be an administrative cost. The Survey of India is yet to sign the deal, it is learned. Although survey and land-mapping is quick, data processing, verification of documents and creating ownership cards would take much longer. “It would take around two years to complete the project and issue ownership cards in Bengaluru,” said an official. But there is apprehension over the project’s success. It has much to do with the glitches that it faced in Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Ballari, where it was initially implemented. Besides technical glitches and lukewarm response in the process of issuing UPOR cards, it met with stiff opposition from local corporators. Chances are that it will run into opposition in Bengaluru too.
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