Concerned over rising incidents of unauthorised constructions, civic body Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee ( JNAC) will get drone mapping done of places, which have become centres of unauthorised constructions.
JNAC is going to conduct a 3D mapping survey of the city. This survey will be done by drone. At present, one crore 98 lakh 24 thousand rupees will be spent on this survey. An agency has been selected for the survey. After the report comes, the entire blueprint of the city will be on the computer of JNAC.
On Wednesday, MP Bidyut Baran Mahto and Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy laid the foundation stone of this scheme in the premises of JNAC in Sakchi.
Moreover, the foundation stone of a total 36 schemes to be implemented from the funds of Urban Development and Housing Department, Jharkhand, Ranchi was also laid.
“Besides checking illegal coming up of buildings in violation of norms, what we need to ensure is accountability of officials concerned so that the illegality is checked while it is being committed and not later,” an official of JNAC.
He said with so much of advancement in technology, it had been decided that drone mapping of the city would be undertaken. “With the help of drone mapping we can have an exact count of buildings. Satellite imagery can be used to get a timeline and in case of dereliction of duty by officials, suitable action can be taken,” he said.
The preliminary results have indicated that the use of drones for undertaking building mapping is successful and can help in checking illegal construction to a great extent. It will be useful to check illegal constructions, which are a major problem in most towns.
“The surveys can be carried out with drones. This will be the first time that a civic body in the city has decided to carry a survey. We will take pictures of the city and then repeat the exercise after three or six months. If there are deviations, we will inform the officers concerned and they will seek explanations,” the official said.
The official claimed that cases involving illegal structures always get tangled in court, with the judiciary usually granting a stay. “Once we do the surveys, we will have pictures. Pictures don’t lie,” the official said. He said the cost of the exercise would be determined later.
Manoj Kumar, a social activist said: “This is a welcome move and a great idea. This data must be kept online. It will stop the encroachers once and for all. But if they hide the data, then it serves no purpose.”
