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Abstract
Property Mapping is an essential need for all city-governing bodies. The computerization of property records, which was undertaken in the Municipal Corporation of Gorakhpur city in 1988, lacked any form of visual representation of data. This project attempted to adapt the existing computer system of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation into a Geographical Information System using Map/Info as a tool. The pilot phase of the study covered two wards that not only represented properties from the higher and lower economic groups of the city but also reflected the major types of land use. In order to avail of the full benefits of the project, a fresh survey had to be conducted in the study area and attempts were even made to reassess the properties.
With the help of the maps generated from this project, the properties within the study area have become easily identifiable. This project will also help to minimize the chances of a property remaining un-assessed or being under assessed, by the surveyors and tax inspectors. Subsequently each property owner will now be easily identifiable and therefore accountable for payment of taxes, thus augmenting the coffers of the Municipal Corporation. The Gorakhpur Geographical Information System is a joint venture of the Society for Planning & Research in Sustainable Management (PRISM) and the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation.
Background & Need for the Study
The city of Gorakhpur is situated on the left bank of the confluence of Rohini & Rapti rivers, between latitudes 26°42' to 26°47' North and longitudes 83°20' to 83°25' East. The Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation, which is responsible for the provision of basic amenities and city governance, serves an area of 147 sq. km.
The Property Records of the Municipal Corporation were computerized in 1988 but there was a total lack of visual representation of data. The only map possessed by the Municipal Corporation depicted ward boundaries for the city. As a consequence the Corporation employees faced innumerable problems when they went on the field or the matter of settling a property dispute arose, forcing them to refer to a Revenue map dating back to 1913.
The last blanket assessment of properties within the limits of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation was done in 1984. Since then the city has grown to almost twice that size, with a proportionate increase in the number of properties. But many of these properties are unaccounted for, even in the older areas of the city making reassessment of properties an essential need for the accuracy of this study.
The last blanket assessment of properties within the limits of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation was done in 1984. Since then the city has grown to almost twice that size, with a proportionate increase in the number of properties. But many of these properties are unaccounted for, even in the older areas of the city making reassessment of properties an essential need for the accuracy of this study.
The city of Gorakhpur is divided into 60 wards (1991 census) and the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation for the ease of its functioning has further grouped these wards into 8 circles. The circles and wards can further be sub-divided into 165 Mohallas. The total properties falling under its purview number 67,155, as per the computer records of the Municipal Corporation (on 30-06-2000).
The Municipal Corporation has a fully functional computerized billing system and the same was adapted into the project in order to minimize the disturbance which would be caused by devising a new system. According to this, all assessed properties lying within the purview of the Corporation have a record on the computer that has been coded in the form of a 10-digit number. (Refer to Fig. 1)
Figure 1: Property Numbering as per the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation
The first two digits denote ward numbers, followed by Mohalla numbers and then the individual property numbers have been given. In case of partition of a property, a letter from the English alphabet, for example, 'A' is given for the first partition, 'B' for the second and so on. If the property has not been partitioned, 'a dash' is put in place of the digit. The last digit is a check digit, which is generated automatically by the programe once the detail information about a property is fed into the computer, thus preventing any errors caused by duplication of data.
The database of the Municipal Corporation has been created on FoxPro and includes all the information required for the purpose of billing a property, including yearly records of payments and arrears. The bills are issued in the form of computer printouts, thus maintaining a high level of transparency within the system.
But this database does not include any information pertaining to assessment of a property and the employees of the Municipal Corporation have to rely on the judgment of the Tax Inspectors and the clerical staff for assessment of properties. The only method of crosschecking this information is either to look up the ledgers or to visit the site, a task that is extremely tedious. Added to this is the problem of property number allocation, which many a times is done by the clerical staff without even visiting the site, making it extremely difficult for the tax inspectors to locate the properties once they go on the field. Some other problems that highlight the need of a Geographical Information System are:
b>The Study Area
The project is divided into two phases. The pilot phase of the project has been completed and it covered two wards namely, the Civil Lines Wards I & II (ward no. 45 & 48). This area comprised the three Mohallas of Civil Lines, Bilandpur & Kalepur, together housing a total of 1,073 properties, as per the computer records of the Municipal Corporation (on 30-06-2000). (refer to Fig 2). The second phase of the project will aim to cover the entire city.
Figure 2: The Study Area
The study area was duly representative of the older and newer parts of the city, the Civil Lines mohalla representing the former and Bilandpur mohalla representative of the latter. While Kalepur, is a mixed set of both the old and the new. Bilandpur Mohalla had a very high percentage of new properties because of its proximity to the city center as well as accessibility to reclaimable low cost land along the National Highway.
The Objective The objective of the project was To Organize and Map the Property Tax Structure of the Corporation, using GIS as a tool.
Methodology
The Methodology adopted in order to fulfill the above objective commenced with a rapid inventory of the available information. A questionnaire was prepared in Hindi (the local language) and included all the information necessary for assessing a property according to the current practices followed by the Municipal Corporation as well as information that would be needed under the Property Tax Self-Assessment scheme to be adopted shortly by all the Municipal Corporations within the state of U.P.
Subsequently a base map was prepared for the study area. The only maps available for the city of Gorakhpur are the 1972 Survey of India Map at the 1:20,000 scale and the 1913 Revenue map on the 1:6,490 scale. These were subsequently scanned, enlarged and the first level map digitized in Map/Info. Remote Sensing imageries in the 5.8m and 1m resolution could not be used because of lack of funds. Each property in the area was notionally marked on the base map and given a number, either from the existing computer records or a new number in case of an un-assessed property.
A fresh property survey was conducted on the basis of the questionnaire prepared and data was fed into MS Excel sheets. Thus all information pertaining to a property, for example, land use, location, number of floors in the building, year of construction, year of stay of the resident, status of resident (owner/renter), rent paid (if the property is rented), water connection, sewer connection, electricity connection, type of construction, number of rooms in the house, area of rooms, total area and covered area of the property, was collected and stored. The surveyors were also asked to sketch the plan of each property, for future reference and comparison.
The manual property map was also crosschecked and necessary corrections made at the time of the survey. Subsequently, this map was digitized and the data collected from the survey was attached to each property on the map. Information on property billing and arrears obtained from the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation had to be converted from '.dbf' format to '.xls' format and then attached to the maps. House Plans, which had been passed by the Gorakhpur Development Authority before the construction of a house, were scanned and attached to an MS Access database, along with the house sketches made by the surveyors in order that comparisons between the existing situation and approved plans could be made. The final analysis and reassessment of properties was done in the form of tables and maps.
Observations & Findings
Conducting the survey in the Civil Lines Mohalla was particularly difficult because each property in the area had more than one building and data had to be collected for each one of them. There are also a number of high-rise buildings with flats, and data for each flat was collected. Thus, where the Municipal Corporation record states that there are 530 houses in the area, the Society found 3162. These were then reduced to 627 records, in order to make the data compatible with that of the Municipal Corporation.
Bilandpur & Kalepur Mohallas on the other hand are more like the remaining city wherein each property generally has only one building with Residential, Commercial or Mixed Land use.
Thus according to the computer records of the Municipal Corporation, the Civil Lines Wards I & II had 1,073 properties but the survey located 1,366 properties. The study showed that while 3%(41) of the properties in the Corporation records were non-existent, 21%(284) of the properties in the area still remained un-assessed. The maximum number of un-assessed properties was in the newer Bilandpur Mohalla, accounting for 156(11%) of the total records. But the un-assessed properties in the older Civil Lines Mohalla were no less, 98 (7%) of the total records.
Figure 3: Status of Properties
The Gorakhpur Geographical Information System
Vaishali Nandan
Society for Planning & Research in Sustainable Management (PRISM)
Shahpur, P.O. Gita Vatika,
Gorakhpur - 273006 (U.P.), India
Tel: 91-0551-283200, 281844, Fax: 91-0551-283200
Email: vnand@vsnl.com
Vaishali Nandan
Society for Planning & Research in Sustainable Management (PRISM)
Shahpur, P.O. Gita Vatika,
Gorakhpur - 273006 (U.P.), India
Tel: 91-0551-283200, 281844, Fax: 91-0551-283200
Email: vnand@vsnl.com
Abstract
Property Mapping is an essential need for all city-governing bodies. The computerization of property records, which was undertaken in the Municipal Corporation of Gorakhpur city in 1988, lacked any form of visual representation of data. This project attempted to adapt the existing computer system of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation into a Geographical Information System using Map/Info as a tool. The pilot phase of the study covered two wards that not only represented properties from the higher and lower economic groups of the city but also reflected the major types of land use. In order to avail of the full benefits of the project, a fresh survey had to be conducted in the study area and attempts were even made to reassess the properties.
With the help of the maps generated from this project, the properties within the study area have become easily identifiable. This project will also help to minimize the chances of a property remaining un-assessed or being under assessed, by the surveyors and tax inspectors. Subsequently each property owner will now be easily identifiable and therefore accountable for payment of taxes, thus augmenting the coffers of the Municipal Corporation. The Gorakhpur Geographical Information System is a joint venture of the Society for Planning & Research in Sustainable Management (PRISM) and the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation.
Background & Need for the Study
The city of Gorakhpur is situated on the left bank of the confluence of Rohini & Rapti rivers, between latitudes 26°42' to 26°47' North and longitudes 83°20' to 83°25' East. The Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation, which is responsible for the provision of basic amenities and city governance, serves an area of 147 sq. km.
The Property Records of the Municipal Corporation were computerized in 1988 but there was a total lack of visual representation of data. The only map possessed by the Municipal Corporation depicted ward boundaries for the city. As a consequence the Corporation employees faced innumerable problems when they went on the field or the matter of settling a property dispute arose, forcing them to refer to a Revenue map dating back to 1913.
The last blanket assessment of properties within the limits of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation was done in 1984. Since then the city has grown to almost twice that size, with a proportionate increase in the number of properties. But many of these properties are unaccounted for, even in the older areas of the city making reassessment of properties an essential need for the accuracy of this study.
The last blanket assessment of properties within the limits of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation was done in 1984. Since then the city has grown to almost twice that size, with a proportionate increase in the number of properties. But many of these properties are unaccounted for, even in the older areas of the city making reassessment of properties an essential need for the accuracy of this study.
The city of Gorakhpur is divided into 60 wards (1991 census) and the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation for the ease of its functioning has further grouped these wards into 8 circles. The circles and wards can further be sub-divided into 165 Mohallas. The total properties falling under its purview number 67,155, as per the computer records of the Municipal Corporation (on 30-06-2000).
The Municipal Corporation has a fully functional computerized billing system and the same was adapted into the project in order to minimize the disturbance which would be caused by devising a new system. According to this, all assessed properties lying within the purview of the Corporation have a record on the computer that has been coded in the form of a 10-digit number. (Refer to Fig. 1)
Figure 1: Property Numbering as per the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation
The first two digits denote ward numbers, followed by Mohalla numbers and then the individual property numbers have been given. In case of partition of a property, a letter from the English alphabet, for example, 'A' is given for the first partition, 'B' for the second and so on. If the property has not been partitioned, 'a dash' is put in place of the digit. The last digit is a check digit, which is generated automatically by the programe once the detail information about a property is fed into the computer, thus preventing any errors caused by duplication of data.
The database of the Municipal Corporation has been created on FoxPro and includes all the information required for the purpose of billing a property, including yearly records of payments and arrears. The bills are issued in the form of computer printouts, thus maintaining a high level of transparency within the system.
But this database does not include any information pertaining to assessment of a property and the employees of the Municipal Corporation have to rely on the judgment of the Tax Inspectors and the clerical staff for assessment of properties. The only method of crosschecking this information is either to look up the ledgers or to visit the site, a task that is extremely tedious. Added to this is the problem of property number allocation, which many a times is done by the clerical staff without even visiting the site, making it extremely difficult for the tax inspectors to locate the properties once they go on the field. Some other problems that highlight the need of a Geographical Information System are:
- Property numbers are not in sequence
- Incorrect demands are printed or there is wrong entry of property numbers
- Properties that have been demolished or do not exist anymore continue to be billed.There is no visual link between the location of a property and its corresponding data, rendering all forms of visual analysis impossible.
b>The Study Area
The project is divided into two phases. The pilot phase of the project has been completed and it covered two wards namely, the Civil Lines Wards I & II (ward no. 45 & 48). This area comprised the three Mohallas of Civil Lines, Bilandpur & Kalepur, together housing a total of 1,073 properties, as per the computer records of the Municipal Corporation (on 30-06-2000). (refer to Fig 2). The second phase of the project will aim to cover the entire city.
Figure 2: The Study Area
The study area was duly representative of the older and newer parts of the city, the Civil Lines mohalla representing the former and Bilandpur mohalla representative of the latter. While Kalepur, is a mixed set of both the old and the new. Bilandpur Mohalla had a very high percentage of new properties because of its proximity to the city center as well as accessibility to reclaimable low cost land along the National Highway.
The Objective The objective of the project was To Organize and Map the Property Tax Structure of the Corporation, using GIS as a tool.
Methodology
The Methodology adopted in order to fulfill the above objective commenced with a rapid inventory of the available information. A questionnaire was prepared in Hindi (the local language) and included all the information necessary for assessing a property according to the current practices followed by the Municipal Corporation as well as information that would be needed under the Property Tax Self-Assessment scheme to be adopted shortly by all the Municipal Corporations within the state of U.P.
Subsequently a base map was prepared for the study area. The only maps available for the city of Gorakhpur are the 1972 Survey of India Map at the 1:20,000 scale and the 1913 Revenue map on the 1:6,490 scale. These were subsequently scanned, enlarged and the first level map digitized in Map/Info. Remote Sensing imageries in the 5.8m and 1m resolution could not be used because of lack of funds. Each property in the area was notionally marked on the base map and given a number, either from the existing computer records or a new number in case of an un-assessed property.
A fresh property survey was conducted on the basis of the questionnaire prepared and data was fed into MS Excel sheets. Thus all information pertaining to a property, for example, land use, location, number of floors in the building, year of construction, year of stay of the resident, status of resident (owner/renter), rent paid (if the property is rented), water connection, sewer connection, electricity connection, type of construction, number of rooms in the house, area of rooms, total area and covered area of the property, was collected and stored. The surveyors were also asked to sketch the plan of each property, for future reference and comparison.
The manual property map was also crosschecked and necessary corrections made at the time of the survey. Subsequently, this map was digitized and the data collected from the survey was attached to each property on the map. Information on property billing and arrears obtained from the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation had to be converted from '.dbf' format to '.xls' format and then attached to the maps. House Plans, which had been passed by the Gorakhpur Development Authority before the construction of a house, were scanned and attached to an MS Access database, along with the house sketches made by the surveyors in order that comparisons between the existing situation and approved plans could be made. The final analysis and reassessment of properties was done in the form of tables and maps.
Observations & Findings
Conducting the survey in the Civil Lines Mohalla was particularly difficult because each property in the area had more than one building and data had to be collected for each one of them. There are also a number of high-rise buildings with flats, and data for each flat was collected. Thus, where the Municipal Corporation record states that there are 530 houses in the area, the Society found 3162. These were then reduced to 627 records, in order to make the data compatible with that of the Municipal Corporation.
Bilandpur & Kalepur Mohallas on the other hand are more like the remaining city wherein each property generally has only one building with Residential, Commercial or Mixed Land use.
Thus according to the computer records of the Municipal Corporation, the Civil Lines Wards I & II had 1,073 properties but the survey located 1,366 properties. The study showed that while 3%(41) of the properties in the Corporation records were non-existent, 21%(284) of the properties in the area still remained un-assessed. The maximum number of un-assessed properties was in the newer Bilandpur Mohalla, accounting for 156(11%) of the total records. But the un-assessed properties in the older Civil Lines Mohalla were no less, 98 (7%) of the total records.
Figure 3: Status of Properties
According to the current Annual Rental Value (12% House Tax, 12% Water Tax, 3% Sewer Tax and 0% Conservancy Tax), 72% property owners in Bilandpur and 66% in Kalepur have property tax arrears pending towards the Corporation and maximum cases were in the range of Rs. 1-3000 (on 30-06-2000).
Properties within each mohalla were further divided on the basis of landuse, type of construction, year of construction, year of stay, location of property, availability of basic amenities, covered area and carpet area. Attempts were made to derive the per sq. ft. Annual Rental Value from the available data but further work on reassessment remains pending because of unavailability of comprehensive data on the carpet area of each property. Till such time that the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation sends out a directive to the property owners asking them to submit information on the carpet area, a comprehensive reassessment of properties cannot be attempted. A task possible only when reassessment is done for the entire city in the second Phase.
Financial Benefits projected for the Corporation
Financial Benefits projected for the Municipal Corporation have been calculated on the basis of two options - as per the total number of wards and as per the total number of properties. The Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation levies a total of 27% taxes on the population residing within its limits and all calculations have been made in accordance.
Option I : According to Wards
As shown in Table 1, if benefits accruing from the un-assessed properties within the 2 wards studied in the Pilot phase are postulated atRs. 5.37 lacs then the benefits accruing from the 60 wards within the Corporation limits can be estimated at Rs. 1.6 crores. Even if only 75% of this value is taken into account, it still amounts to an enormous figure of Rs.1.2 crores.
Table 1 : Financial Justification according to Wards
| Head/ Mohalla | Civil Lines | Bilandpur | Kalepur | Total |
| Average ARV | 15,652 | 2,158 | 3,983 | 21,794 |
| No. of Un- Assessed HH | 98 | 156 | 30 | 284 |
| Expected ARV (Rs.) | 1,533,958 | 336,794 | 119,490 | 1,990,243 |
| House Tax (12%ARV) | 184,075 | 40,415 | 14,338 | 238,829 |
| Water Tax(12%ARV) | 184,075 | 40,415 | 14,338 | 238,829 |
| Sewer Tax(3%ARV) | 46,018 | 10,103 | 3,584 | 59,707 |
| Estimated Property Taxes (p.a.) | 414,168 | 90,934 | 32,262 | 537,365 |
Source : Society for PRISM
Note : Conservancy Tax (0% ARV)
Option II : According to Properties
Financial benefits if calculated on the basis of the total number of un-assessed properties within the city (20% of total properties), excluding an estimated 2% non-existent records and taking an average ARV of Rs.2,000 as the datum value. The benefits accruing towards the Municipal Corporation will amount to Rs. 1.5 lacs for the study area and Rs. 70 lacs for the entire city.
Increase in ARV
Once a fresh survey of the entire city is conducted, it is assumed that a minimum of 25% of the properties in the current records of the Corporation will need to be reassessed and that the increase in their ARV will be a minimum of Rs. 500. This will benefit the Municipal Corporation by a further Rs. 82 lacs.
Gross Financial Benefits from the Project
Thus it is proposed that the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation will benefit by Rs. 2 crores if the first option is added to the increase in ARV or by Rs. 1.5 crores if the second option is considered with the increase in ARV.
Other Benefits
This study will not only benefit the taxation branch of the Municipal Corporation but once Census data is attached to each property, it can make a very powerful tool for all kinds of planning purposes in the fields of water supply, sewerage & solid waste management. This GIS map with its attached data base will also be beneficial to other departments like - City Administration, Revenue Department, District Urban Development Authority, Gorakhpur Development Authority, Police, Telephone Department and Electricity Department, to name just a few.