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CBI fear stalls Gujarat mapping work
Gandhinagar, India. -- The Gujarat government's efforts to use some of the world's best remote sensing equipment and expertise available with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for creating a computerized geographic information system (GIS) has come to standstill within three months of its launch on October 4 last year. In the wake of recent CBI raids to find out why maps considered sensitive were handed over for scanning without a defence clearance, virtually the entire state officialdom is refusing to proceed with the project.
Called the 'Spatial Decision Support System' in IT jargon, the aim behind creating a "global positioning system" was to make available a user-friendly multi-purpose common database on demography, economy, natural resources and developmental activity of the state but district-wise.
While the GIS was being created by the state's remote-sensing organization, Reseco, at Gandhinagar, similar work for the country was in progress under top ISRO scientist A R Dasgupta in Ahmedabad. Well-placed secretariat sources say all de-partments that were to submit data on land pattern, green cover, health, education, irrigation potential, water resources, arterial roads, agriculture, industry and mining "have stopped providing any information to Reseco."
"A strong fear has gripped a big section of the officials after recent CBI raids in Gandhinagar to find out why a defence ministry clearance was not taken before old maps showing the state's green cover were handed over for creating a GIS for the forest department," a top bureaucrat told this daily.
Reseco had in the opast three months done detailed mapping for Gandhinagar and Vadodara districts, integrating 69 parameters, including demographical and soci-economic data. It was also involved in a pilot project for the state revenue department showing land-use pattern and ownership details.
The data on a Gandhinagar village was collected, collated and mapped, plans were worked out for having similar database for all of Gujarat's 18,000 villages.
Similarly, the rural development department got six Saurashtra districts and Kutch mapped with details on water sources, health, education and other developmental indicators. However, department officials say the Kutch map was "not being handed over to the district development officials" as it was a supposed to be a sensitive border area. "True, satellite maps are freely available. But why should we take the risk if the map falls in the hands of a voluntary agency with foreign backing?" asked an official.
Officials say when detailed satellite maps were available for any part of the state from any of the 200-odd private agencies working on remote sensing data collection all over the country, there was no reason for the security agencies and the CM to have acted on the basis of laws framed during the British Raj. " A simple device, global positioning system, available freely the world over, can be used to locate a place. Close-ups of objects up to two square metres area can be identified with accuracy. But here the fear stalks all. One needs an assurance from the top to get things moving now," a bureaucrat remarked.
Source: Times of India, 12th Jan., 2001,
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