Bengaluru using AI to find illegal constructions

Bengaluru's Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the city will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to spot illegal constructions. This move is part of the government's efforts to improve property tax compliance and transparency in land records. During a press conference, Shivakumar noted that over 700,000 homes in Bengaluru are not currently paying taxes. Only around 100,000 of these have been regularized. The government is working to bring the remaining homes into the tax system. A new one-time settlement scheme has also been introduced to help with this process. The Deputy Chief Minister highlighted that many properties have built more than allowed, either by adding floors or expanding. AI will help monitor these violations by analyzing property sizes. However, specific details about how the AI will work were not provided. Shivakumar also discussed plans for street vendors. Due to court rulings, vendors cannot have permanent stalls. Currently, 3,778 have asked for pushcarts, and the BBMP aims to provide 10,000 this year. Vendors must register, and their cart usage will be tracked to avoid illegal sales. So far, over 27,000 vendors have registered, and the registration deadline has been extended to April. In addition, he mentioned that BBMP elections will be held soon, as the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill 2024 has been approved. Discussions with opposition parties are ongoing to finalize the electoral process. The elections will take place promptly after the Governor's approval for new constituencies.