It is an opportunity for Corporation to generate nearly an additional ₹500 crore, from the revised property tax.

At least 33,000 alterations have been made to original plan of buildings across Mumbai City, according to a survey conducted by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) using the 360-degree Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to identify additional area being used by the citizens.

Corporation will now check if changes are legal by streamlining data and syncing it with 15-digit unique identification number that has been given to each building.

In second phase of survey, if alterations are found to be illegal, BMC will send notices to the property owners and impose an additional property tax, depending on alterations/additions made to original structure shown in approved construction plan.

Using technology that takes a 360° video of each property, BMC surveyed nearly 2.61 lakh properties of 3.39 lakh buildings covered by Assessment and Collection Department.

Rest of the buildings are in restricted areas belonging to Defence and Bombay Port Trust and Civic Body is yet to get permission to conduct a survey there.

LiDAR project, which excludes slums, was announced in 2017, at a cost of ₹12 crore.

Technology, coupled with video-recordings, measures length, breadth and height of the properties and roads on which they stand. Survey will help Civic body maintain records of any changes made to buildings.

According to the Sources, this will give BMC an opportunity to generate nearly an additional ₹500 crore, from revised property tax.

BMC on an average collects around ₹5,000 crore in property taxes annually.

Alterations include changes to number of storeys, extension of the balconies, covering of the mandatory open area and use of property commercial, residential or industrial.

Source PTI

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