The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is carrying out property survey across Guwahati to identify all households and keep a record along with the members. The entire process will cost GMC an approximate amount of around ₹2.7 crore, but the service is totally free for the residents, but some miscreants are trying to dupe the residents asking for money in the name of the survey.
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A source in GMC talking to GPlus said, “Some people were trying to dupe some citizens in the Paltan Bazar area in the name of conducting the property survey in their households,” adding that the agency carrying out the survey has even filed a complaint against the miscreants in the Paltan Bazar police station. Paltan Bazar police sources informed that the investigation is ongoing and some people were even detained.
GioVista Technologies, the agency carrying out the survey, found out about such complaints and accordingly filed a complaint with the police.
The GMC source said, “The miscreants were extorting money telling the residents that the survey is very important and if the residents don’t pay their households will not be registered and later these will be demolished.”
It needs to be mentioned that the GMC all these days was collecting property taxes from residents on the basis of holding numbers connected in the electricity bill. GMC did not have any database of households defaulting to pay property taxes.
Now GMC is conducting a door-to-door Geographic Information System (GIS) survey to implement a Smart House Numbering System (SHNS). This move will ensure seamless delivery of civic services to city dwellers. SHNS will enable GMC to make a digital database of the properties and track tax payment status. The system will help track or provide some other civic facilities as well. GMC officials said that the GMC house numbers, which were provided earlier, will remain the same but the numbers will be now GIS-based. In some areas new numbers will be provided if required, said the source.
Every household will get a “unique number” and will be connected with the GMC online 24/7, said the source.
The GMC has also issued a phone number – 8811007000- for the residents to complain if anyone asks for money for the survey.