GIS satellite surveys have enabled the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) to identify construction violations across the city, demolish 28 major illegal structures and reclaim about 2.6 hectares of government and public land valued at nearly Rs 49.40 crore, according to municipal officials.
The technology-driven monitoring initiative has flagged 726 “Red Patches” representing new construction activity undertaken since 2023. Each patch is assigned a unique identification number through the Property Information Management System (PIMS) Portal, allowing the civic body to map, catalogue and track construction activity across its zones and wards.
IMC Commissioner Kshitij Singhal said the monitoring framework was being implemented in coordination with the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC). The mapped sites are used by regional building officers and inspectors to conduct targeted physical inspections, comparing actual site conditions with officially sanctioned building permissions.
The field verification process has identified several categories of irregularities. Municipal data cited in the report records 1,392 cases involving significant deviations from approved building plans, while another 595 structures were allegedly built without valid permissions. The civic body has also identified five unauthorised colonies operating in violation of municipal norms.
Following document checks and physical verification, IMC served formal notices to property owners and developers under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956, and the Madhya Pradesh Land Development Rules, 2012. The notices form part of the statutory process for dealing with construction deviations, unauthorised buildings and related planning violations.
IMC Additional Commissioner Prakhar Singh said 28 major illegal structures detected through the satellite survey had already been demolished. The resulting recovery of approximately 2.6 hectares included government and public land. At the official Collector Guideline rate of Rs 19,000 per square metre, the reclaimed land was assessed at about Rs 49.40 crore.
The municipal system is intended to connect remote monitoring with field-level enforcement rather than rely solely on complaints or periodic inspections. Ward-wise and zone-wise records allow senior officials to review notices, pending cases and disposal status through a centralised system. The unique identification numbers also create a continuous record for each flagged site.
According to the municipal information cited in the report, eligible deviations may be assessed for compounding where permitted under the applicable rules, with the resulting fees contributing to municipal revenues. The system is also intended to help identify encroachments on government plots, open spaces and land reserved for public utilities.
Proceedings and legal assessments for the remaining cases are continuing, officials said. The next steps will depend on the findings of individual site verifications, the applicable planning rules and the completion of statutory action against property owners and developers.
