Geo-Tag Your Delhi Property By January 31st: Know How And Why It Is Important?

In December, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) declared that geo-tagging all property types is now mandatory for qualifying for a 10% property tax exemption. However, the initiative to geo-tag commercial and residential properties in Delhi has seen a lackluster response, with only 78,000 properties being geo-tagged by their owners, as reported by the media.

What is Geo-tagging?

According to the official Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) website, geo-tagging of properties involves associating a unique latitude-longitude marker with a property on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map. This is accomplished by selecting the current location corresponding to a unique property identification code. The goal is to ensure that properties are precisely identified geographically on the map.

Why is Geo-tagging Necessary?

The MCD emphasizes that geo-tagging of properties aims to provide location-based identification for individual properties, facilitating improved service delivery by the civic agency to citizens. Once a property is geo-tagged, it becomes easily locatable in geographical space, and this information can be utilized for better provision of various services to citizens.

How Does the MCD Benefit from Geo-tagging?

Unlike other addresses that are dynamic, latitude-longitude band information about a property is unique and relatively permanent, according to the MCD website. This precise information can be used for better service provision to citizens and effective outreach.

What happens if you fail to geo-tag your property by January 31?

Property owners failing to geo-tag their properties by January 31 will lose eligibility for the 10% rebate on lump-sum advance tax payments in the upcoming financial year, with the payment deadline set for June 30. If MCD officers have already geo-tagged a property, further geo-tagging is unnecessary, as stated in the MCD statement.

Additionally, the MCD advises property owners who haven't registered their assets on the civic body's property tax portal to complete the registration process, generate a Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC), and geo-tag their properties. Failure to register by January 31 may result in legal action by the civic body, including measures to recover the tax.

How to Geo-tag Your Property:

The MCD has introduced a dedicated mobile app for geo-tagging both residential and non-residential properties. Property owners can use the Unified Mobile App (UMA), available for download on the Google Play Store, or visit the website at https://mcdonline.nic.in/mcdapp.html.

To initiate the geo-tagging process, applicants are required to follow these steps:

• Download the UMA app and select the citizen option.
• Input login details.
• Choose the Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC) for geo-tagging, using a registered mobile number.
• Select the Property UPIC, go to the Action button, and click on 'geo-tagging' for the map location to appear.
• For property owners without UPIC numbers, it is necessary to generate UPIC before proceeding with the geo-tagging of their properties.