Kolkata: In a significant stride towards fast-tracking of property assessment, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation will soon float a WhatsApp number where common people can apply for the assessment of their unassessed property. The number 8335988888 will be monitored by Municipal Commissioner Binod Kumar who will do the needful to start the process of assessment immediately on receipt of such requests.
"We have been receiving several queries of pending assessment of properties in the city. If it is found that a good number of assessments in a particular locality is pending, we may organise a camp there to expedite the process," said Firhad Hakim, Chairman Board of Administrators, KMC.
Hakim expressed his optimism that if this system is implemented properly, then in a span of 18 months there will hardly be any unassessed property in the city.
The KMC has also opened a single-window for the purpose of property mutation and Commissioner Kumar has deputed a senior official to oversee mutation issues. "We will keep people updated on his/her mutation status. Often mutation remains pending due to issues like problems with land deeds, unavailability of previous land records and the like. If the person applying for mutation is updated through SMS, he/she will provide the necessary documents so that the process can be fast-tracked," he added.
Hakim has also instructed his officials to develop a website for maintaining an up to date database of properties on the basis of their assessment and mutation.
The database will help the common man to scan through the land records before purchasing any plot. There have been instances when water bodies have been filled up and single tracts of land have been sold as small plots causing harassment to the buyer in later stages regarding assessment or mutation.