Loni municipal authorities in Ghaziabad are preparing a digital survey of around three lakh buildings, shops and vacant plots, using drones, GPS and GIS mapping to bring properties into a formal civic database and assign each a Unique Identification Number (UID). The survey is expected to begin in October or November 2026 and is planned to be completed within a year.
The exercise will cover all 55 wards of Loni Nagar Palika. According to municipal executive officer Vaibhav Tripathi, the tender process has started and a firm will be selected to carry out the mapping. The selected agency will also maintain the related software during the second year.
The municipality currently collects property tax from around 1.43 lakh buildings and receives approximately Rs 18 crore annually through the levy. The proposed survey is intended to identify properties that are not currently in the tax system and bring them within the municipality’s assessment framework.
Officials said the digital database will include a three-dimensional map of the municipal area. The UID-linked GPS locations are expected to help emergency services locate properties in areas with narrow lanes, where fire engines and ambulances can currently face difficulty reaching the correct address during fires and medical emergencies.
The mapping will also record different categories of land, including lakes, ponds, green belts, industrial areas, barren land and rural access roads. Municipal authorities said the system would help identify encroachments and unauthorised construction and allow action to be taken when such activity is detected.
Loni has several unplanned colonies developed on agricultural land. Residents in these areas have reported problems linked to inadequate sewerage, water pipelines and road gradients, including waterlogging. The municipality plans to share the digital data with the Ghaziabad Development Authority to help identify unauthorised colonies and construction on agricultural land.
Officials said the survey would also show which neighbourhoods lack basic facilities such as water supply, sewerage and paved roads. These areas could then be identified for priority infrastructure work. The municipality expects the expansion of the property-tax base to increase revenue, which it says can support the maintenance of civic services.
The survey’s immediate milestones are the completion of the tender process, selection of the implementation agency and commencement of fieldwork by October or November. The municipal authority has set a one-year timeline for completing the survey before UID allocation begins.
