The much-anticipated move of mapping properties and streets of the city by using Geographical Information System (GIS) by the BBMP has run into hurdles.
The much-anticipated move of mapping properties and streets of the city by using Geographical Information System (GIS) by the BBMP has run into hurdles.
The reason: Revenue officers say they are overburdened and cannot find time to help a private agency in GIS implementation.
The GIS work was started in 2008 by the BBMP to bring all the properties under its jurisdiction within the tax net. But the process is taking more time.
Revenue officials link the delay to excess work given to them such as property tax collection, EPIC list preparation and work related to implementation of various government schemes.
Officials say that owing to this, they cannot help the private agency KEONICS in updating the data base.
The revenue department is manned by 850 officials and about 1,200 other employees.
C Nagaraj, chief secretary of BBMP Revenue Department Workers’ Association, said they are being forced to work even on holidays.
"Over the past four years, we had been denied rest on holidays and Sundays. Apart from our regular work, we are also burdened with work related to EPIC. Earlier, this work was given to private agencies,” he said.
On GIS implementation, he said KEONICS had given sublease to some other agency which was not so competent.
“Hence, our burden has doubled as this work is also being done by us,” he said.
Jayanagara division’s revenue officer Shashikala said she was finding it difficult even to prepare food for her son because of the work pressure.
“We have to provide information on GIS, Swasthya Bima Yojane, EPIC, voters list for graduate constituency and census. This is apart from our routine work at the office,” she said.
“Our health has gone down already and if the work continues like this, we will soon be dead,” she added.
Disgruntled revenue officers have decided not to work on holidays and Sundays anymore.
Association president BR Shivakumar said that since top officials were ignoring their appeals, they would not allow themselves to be overburdened with work.
When contacted, BBMP’s information technology advisor T Sheshadri opposed the stand of revenue officers. He said this would only further delay the implementation of GIS.
“The revalidation part is pending and with revenue officers expressing their dissatisfaction over the work, there will be problem for implementation of GIS,” he added.
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