The Kollam Corporation has launched an awareness campaign after its Intelligent Property Management System (IPMS) survey was met with resistance from the residents of some divisions.
The IPMS uses latest technologies like drones and specially designed applications to collect demographic and infrastructural details of an area.
People reportedly refused to cooperate with the survey suspecting it to be a data gathering exercise in connection with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“The objective of the survey is to create a databank that will be used to formulate various developmental projects and welfare schemes. Drone mapping agencies registered with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are conducting the survey with the permission of the District Police Chief.
Prior to the survey, respective police stations have been informed and we are planning to complete the drone mapping in four weeks. Some people are opposing it without knowing its purpose,” said Mayor Honey Benjamin at a press meet here on Wednesday.
Area mapping
As part of the IPMS survey all buildings in the Corporation will be mapped and photographed. Other details that include roads, landmarks, waterbodies, bridges, drainage systems, junctions, traffic signals and parking areas will be collected and stored in the databank in a user-friendly mode. The data related to the area of each building will be obtained by GPS along with the spatial information of wetlands and fallow lands. “The survey will help technology-based planning and more efficient implementation of projects. It will also ensure that various welfare projects reached the right beneficiaries. Another objective is infrastructure development and execution of various projects related to agriculture, industry, health and disaster management,” she said.
The system will also collect the basic details of the residents of Kollam Corporation, including their education, profession and health records.
Cooperation needed
The Corporation officials said that the data on water availability and rainwater harvesting collected through the survey would be used to tackle water crisis in summer months.
“The cooperation of the public is very important for the survey. We want all the residents to share complete and accurate details that will be used only for ensuring their welfare,” she said.