With everything needed for the digital mapping process in place, Kadakkal is all set to become the first geoinformatics panchayat in the district. All the field activities have been completed and the panchayat has spent ₹12 lakh for the project.
A digital map showing houses, buildings, roads, anganwadis, schools, public spaces, water sources, farms, panchayat properties, and other infrastructural and topographical details is the key part of the project.
Everything, including the socio-economic condition of each family in the grama panchayat, basic personal info and details about domestic animals, public taps and street lights, was collected as part of the project.
The geoinformatics software is expected to help the panchayat authorities carry out their daily activities and planning in a more efficient manner.
No access for public
Though the public will not be able to access the map, all government departments functioning in the panchayat can use the details collected as part of the geoinformatic mapping with the permission of panchayat authorities.
The mapping has been carried out by the Grameena Patana Kendram, a registered society under the Travancore-Cochin Charitable Societies Act, based at Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kendram, established during the first phase of the People’s Plan Programme, has been providing technical input and consultancy support for initiatives such as geo-spatial mapping of lakes and soil across the State.
“The Kendram had appointed volunteers to assimilate information. It took them five months to collect all the input needed for the geoinformatic software, including the details of 11,000 plus buildings, in the panchayat. The software will be active shortly,” said Kadakkal panchayat president R.S. Biju.