Coimbatore: Councillors question drone use for property tax assessment

16 Sep 2024 CW Team

Several councillors expressed their concerns at the Coimbatore Corporation Council meeting regarding discrepancies in property tax assessments conducted using drones.

In response to the queries, corporation commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran explained that drones were utilised to identify residential buildings that had been converted into commercial ones, detect plan violations, and spot new buildings that had not been assessed. He added that besides drone surveys, corporation officials would physically measure these properties.

He mentioned that the measurement details would be sent to the building owners as a notice, giving them a 15-day period to respond. Prabakaran further stated that if property owners had valid objections, the existing property tax would continue to apply. However, if any violations were found, the tax would be increased. He noted that the corporation had received only a few complaints about the survey and taxation process and emphasised that accurate assessments would generate revenue for the city, which is necessary for funding many infrastructure projects.

This meeting was the first presided over by Mayor K Ranganayaki after her election on August 6, with Deputy Mayor R Vetriselvan also in attendance. During the session, 83 resolutions were presented, of which all but three were passed. Among the rejected resolutions was one proposing a fixed monthly fee for users of indoor sports courts in 17 wards, and another suggesting a revision of the building permit fee for residential buildings exceeding 3,500 sq ft to Rs 88 per sq ft.

Despite objections from the chairperson of the finance and taxation committee, V B Mubasheera, the meeting also approved 17 resolutions related to finance, revenue, and taxation.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..