Indore Municipal Corporation has used GIS and satellite surveys to identify 726 construction sites flagged as “Red Patches” since 2023, leading to the demolition of 28 major illegal structures and the recovery of about 2.6 hectares of government and public land.
The surveillance programme is being implemented with the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation through the Property Information Management System portal. IMC Commissioner Kshitij Singhal said the system maps building activity across the city and assigns every identified site a unique identification number.
The digital records are organised by zone and ward, allowing regional building officers and inspectors to compare the conditions found on site with sanctioned building permissions. The process is intended to help officials identify unauthorised construction, deviations from approved plans and encroachments on land reserved for public use.
According to IMC additional commissioner Prakhar Singh, field verification of the sites identified through the surveys found 1,392 cases involving significant deviations from approved building plans. A further 595 structures had been built without valid building permissions. The municipal data also identified five unauthorised colonies operating in violation of civic norms.
Following document checks and physical inspections, the civic body served notices to property owners and developers under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956, and the Madhya Pradesh Land Development Rules, 2012. IMC said statutory proceedings and legal assessments for the remaining cases are continuing.
Singh said the demolition of 28 major illegal structures had enabled the civic body to reclaim approximately 2.6 hectares of government and public land. Based on the official Collector Guideline rate of Rs 19,000 per square metre, the recovered land has an estimated value of about Rs 49.40 crore.
The municipal corporation said the system also enables officials to review enforcement actions, pending cases and disposal status across zones through centralised digital monitoring. Construction deviations that qualify under applicable rules may be assessed for compounding, with the resulting fees contributing to municipal revenue.
The initiative gives the corporation a technology-supported method of linking remote detection with physical inspections and statutory action. Its immediate enforcement focus remains on the cases identified through the satellite surveys, while proceedings and legal assessments for the remaining violations continue.
