The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will begin an auto-miking campaign across its added areas to inform residents about its waiver scheme, with one publicity vehicle planned for each municipal borough covering wards 156 to 209.
The decision was taken after a meeting involving officials from the civic body’s Information and Technology Department and its Property Tax Assessment and Revenue Collection Department. The meeting discussed technical aspects linked to the scheme and agreed that publicity should be intensified in the newer parts of the corporation’s jurisdiction.
The campaign will use autos fitted with public-address systems to spread information through neighbourhoods in Jadavpur, Garia, Khidderpore, Garden Reach, Joka, Behala and Thakurpukur. The Kolkata civic administration is expected to start the drive shortly, according to a report by Sanmarg – Kolkata.
The selected areas fall within the wards numbered 156 to 209, commonly referred to as Kolkata’s added areas. The municipal corporation’s decision reflects a difference in awareness levels between these newer areas and the older parts of the city, where the waiver scheme is reportedly better known among residents.
According to civic officials cited in the report, residents in wards 1 to 155, corresponding to the older parts of the city and the earlier ward structure of 1 to 100, have comparatively greater awareness of the scheme. The corporation therefore does not consider a similar level of auto-based publicity necessary in those areas at present.
The focus on the added areas places public communication alongside the administrative challenge of integrating newer parts of the city into established municipal systems. These neighbourhoods have been brought under the corporation’s jurisdiction but may require different outreach methods to ensure that residents receive information about civic procedures and payment-related schemes.
The campaign is being coordinated across the civic body’s borough structure, with one auto assigned to each borough in the targeted areas. The report does not specify the duration of the campaign, the exact content of the announcements, the eligibility conditions under the waiver scheme or the financial value of the relief available to taxpayers.
The next step is the launch of the auto-miking drive across wards 156 to 209. The civic administration’s stated objective is to improve awareness of the waiver scheme among residents of Kolkata’s added areas through neighbourhood-level publicity.
