Indore News: Out Of 7,185 Properties, Only 3,924 Paying Taxes In Ward 82

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a startling revelation, a survey conducted under Indore Municipal Corporation’s (IMC) Digital Address Pilot Project in Ward 82 has uncovered massive discrepancies in property tax records. Of the 7,185 properties surveyed in the area, only 3,924 are currently paying taxes, while 2,795 properties have no tax accounts at all.

According to the digital survey report, the total estimated revenue from property tax, water tax, and garbage collection charges in Ward 82 should be around Rs 5 crore annually. However, the IMC currently receives less than Rs 2.5 crore, exposing a revenue shortfall of nearly 50 per cent.

The survey, conducted as part of the digital address initiative under CSR, covered areas including Sudama Nagar, Transport Nagar, Shantinath Puri, Shriram Nagar and nearby localities.

Of the 7,185 properties surveyed, 5,582 are residential, 348 are commercial, and 550 are used for other purposes.

Public response and IMC action

After facing controversy over similar discrepancies in Ward 74, the IMC has temporarily suspended the ongoing surveys and set up zone-wise camps for citizens. Property owners can now open new tax accounts, pay outstanding dues or correct discrepancies in their existing records.

Meanwhile, the digital address initiative -- part of Indore’s effort to become the country’s first “Digital Address City” — is progressing. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav confirmed that Ward 82’s pilot project is complete and will now be expanded to Wards 71, 79 and 83.

“Every property in Ward 82 has been assigned a unique digital code that provides complete details about it. Indore has set a benchmark in cleanliness -- now we are moving ahead in digital governance,” the Mayor said.

19 lakh documents digitalised

In a parallel move, IMC is digitalising over a century’s worth of municipal records -- including birth-death registers, building permissions and lease files -- using AI-driven software.

So far, 19,200 files containing more than 19 lakh pages have been scanned in last four months. The corporation estimates 90,000 to 1 lakh files -- over one crore pages -- will be digitized in the next 18–24 months.

A 20-member team is currently working at the IMC headquarters to scan and secure the fragile, decades-old documents -- many of which are 40–50 years old and disintegrate upon touch.

The records are being classified into public and confidential categories. Public records will be made available online for instant access, while confidential ones will remain restricted to departmental servers.

The new AI-based system will allow keyword-based search and instant retrieval of documents, ensuring citizens no longer have to visit multiple departments for records.