GHMC is mulling over establishment of an Urban Information Centre as a web portal, where all data pertaining to the city and various wings of GHMC will be kept available for future planning and development. One among various reforms planned for GHMC, along with TSbPASS, digitisation of properties, establishment of special task force and such, the information cell will collate data pertaining to all the circles and zones and keep them as ready reckoner for officials as well as public.
As of now, the data remains diffused across circles, with no centralised system for information collection and dissemination. There are six zones and 30 circles in GHMC purview, which makes it an onerous task to collect data from each circle whenever a new project is to be taken up. The proposed Urban Information Centre will have crucial circle wise information pertaining to play grounds, parks, sports complexes, municipal markets and other markets, grave yards, lakes, water bodies, open plots, dilapidated buildings, heritage structures, roads and other infrastructure.
This will not only provide access to a treasure trove of information to public, NGOs and others, but also aid officials by providing ready information for any future project, or for maintenance of the existing structures. Besides, it will also house details pertaining to properties in the city along with their geo-coordinates and the digital door numbering information, once the GIS survey is done as planned. After the initiation of TSbPASS for issuing building permissions, the work burden on the field staff has come down, and their services may be utilised for collection of data for the information centre, an official from GHMC informed. “All government departments have officials deputed from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics to head information centres as part of the Plannning wing. GHMC too could emulate the same, so that data is available at centralised location,” the official said, adding that the centre may be set up under either Planning or Information Technology wing.