Bengaluru: In a first-of-its-kind move, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will conduct a door-to-door survey to independently collect the GPS coordinates of about 20 lakh properties in the city.

The survey is intended to improve the collection of property taxes and enable officials to identify properties that are not included in the tax catalogue.

The civic body, which aims to complete the campaign in six months, has engaged the services of nearly 200 people to assist its 150 revenue department staff. In addition, the BBMP has developed a mobile application for data entry.

The special drive involves linking the property identification number (PID) with the picture of the property by assigning the latitude and longitude coordinates. During the visit, BBMP officials may ask for the receipt for taxes paid as well as the electricity bill. Officials said no other documents, including the sale agreement, will be asked for.

“Mapping of all the properties is an important measure to identify property tax evaders,” said a senior BBMP official. “Right now, we have only a PID number, but that is not enough to locate the property. This is also the reason why the BBMP has failed in enforcement. Once the geo-coordinates are available, we will form a team to analyse the data using street views, satellite images, etc.”

Last November, the BBMP had announced such a probe into digitisation of property tax records. It had also sent SMS to many landowners seeking their cooperation. However, the civic body abandoned its plan after revenue officials complained that they were overloaded with work related to the Lok Sabha election. Subsequently, the officials decided to form an independent team for the task.

Also, the BBMP had initially made it mandatory for residents to provide the latitude and longitude coordinates of their properties while paying property tax in 2024-25. The authorities decided to withdraw this feature after many owners found it difficult to enter the numbers crucial for payment. The feature is now optional.

The Bengaluru Municipal Corporation is not the first city to seek geo-coordinates of properties. Earlier this year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched a similar drive, offering a 10% discount to citizens who provide latitude and longitude information.

In Bengaluru, the municipal corporation, which has set a target of raising Rs 520 crore in revenue by the end of this financial year, believes that around 500,000 properties are outside its tax bracket. Many stakeholders feel that the BBMP has the potential to increase revenue by two to three times its current revenue.