Red tape delays Corporation’s drone survey

The Corporation was planning to begin the drone survey by the end of September. “We have received the clearances from various government departments such Ministry of Home Affairs, Intelligence Bureau, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Defence. However, we still have to iron out a few procedures that have been stipulated by these authorities. A team will be proceeding to New Delhi soon to complete the formalities. We hope that once this is done, we can start the drone survey in October,” said the official.

Earlier this year, the Corporation started the door-to-door survey, which is the first phase of the GIS mapping project. In the pilot phase, three wards - Royapuram (Ward 57), Kodambakkam (Ward 136) and Adyar (Ward 172) – were surveyed. In addition, Sowcarpet (Ward 54), Nandanam (Ward 141) and Raja Annamalai Puram (Ward 173) are being covered in the next phase. The civic body will soon begin the survey in more wards, including Saidapet (Ward 140), added the official.

The mapping exercise will allocate geo tags not only to private buildings, but also to public buildings and utilities, including lamp posts, electricity junction boxes and manholes. The mapping will allow the civic body to monitor the properties and ensure that property tax is being collected and also identify encroachments.