The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : GIS project flounders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

GIS project flounders

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s penchant for starting projects in a grand fashion and losing steam thereafter is glaringly evident in the plan to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS).

Started more than a year ago, it is floundering for want of interest and proper supervision. The project involved a survey for mapping all utilities and properties for an integrated system to help in better civic governance. It was supposed to have been finished within six months but each month, fresh deadlines are being put.

Officials accept that 90 per cent of survey work was completed for six of the seven circles of the erstwhile MCH by the private agencies entrusted with the job. Proper data is not available for ex-circle four only, covering localities like Mehdipatnam, Shantinagar, Karwan and others due to a ham handed job by one of the agencies.

“We have most of the spatial data. It is with the deputy municipal commissioners for verification . Only then can we pass it on to the technical clearance committee. Delays are nothing unusual for projects of this kind,” shrugs E. Saibaba, in-charge of IT department.

For the next two months, two engineers will do random sampling of the data gathered for proof-checking to expedite matters and complete the project by March 31. He also assures only a small advance was paid to the private agencies of the Rs. 2.5 crore allocated for it. But, GIS survey agencies are at the receiving end since no funds are being released.

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