4 November 2026 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : The Municipal Corporation (MC) of Jalandhar has initiated a process to link unique identification (UID) numbers allotted to residential, commercial and industrial properties with their property tax, water supply and sewerage bills. The initiative, being implemented under the Smart City project, aims to strengthen the civic body’s digital records, improve revenue collection and identify properties that may have remained outside the property tax network.
Officials said Geographic Information System (GIS) technology would be used to map properties and integrate their details with the respective billing records. The system is expected to help the corporation maintain a consolidated database, reduce duplication and make it easier to track outstanding dues.
Around 3.25 lakh properties to be covered
According to official data, Jalandhar has approximately 3.25 lakh properties across different categories. These include around 1.94 lakh residential properties, 41,601 commercial properties, 5,423 industrial properties and 18,692 properties with mixed land use.
The remaining 66,112 properties comprise plots, agricultural land and religious properties.
Dr Surjit Singh Saini, urban planner, GIS expert and team leader at Jalandhar Smart City Limited, said the initiative would help the corporation maintain digital property records and eliminate duplication in its database.
The integration is expected to connect property-related information with water and sewerage billing details, allowing officials to access records through a common identification system.
MC aims to bring more properties under tax network
The exercise is also expected to help the Municipal Corporation identify properties that are not currently paying property tax despite being liable to do so.
Dr Saini said around 1.5 lakh properties in the city were exempted from property tax because their plot size was below 125 square yards. Of the remaining approximately 1.75 lakh properties, only around 98,000 were paying property tax, according to the official.
Linking UID numbers with water and sewerage bills could help the corporation identify properties that have not been included in the tax network. It would also allow officials to maintain records of properties that qualify for tax exemptions.
The move is intended to improve tax compliance and provide the civic body with a clearer picture of its revenue base.
Residents may access civic dues through UID numbers
The UID-based system is also expected to make it easier for residents to check their water supply and sewerage dues. Instead of dealing with separate records, property owners may be able to access relevant billing information using a common identification number.
The corporation is planning to bring more civic services under the same UID-based system. Officials said the broader plan could allow residents to access municipal services and register complaints through their property identification numbers.
The digital database is also expected to help correct errors in property-owner details, including names and addresses. Better record management could reduce confusion arising from mismatched or duplicate entries across different municipal departments.
Water and sewerage revenue rises
The initiative comes as the corporation continues efforts to improve the recovery of water supply and sewerage charges.
According to the reported figures, the MC collected ₹9.98 crore in water and sewerage bills up to October 23, 2026. This was higher than the ₹8.76 crore collected during the corresponding period last year.
The UID integration is expected to support further improvements in billing and collection by making it easier to identify properties, track dues and maintain updated consumer records.
Work expected to finish by November-end
The Municipal Corporation expects the UID-linking exercise to be completed by the end of November 2026.
Once implemented, the system could provide residents and municipal officials with a more streamlined way to access property-related information and civic services. For the corporation, the key objectives will be to improve tax collection, reduce discrepancies in records and ensure that properties liable to pay municipal taxes are properly identified.
The success of the initiative will depend on accurate property mapping, integration of existing billing records and regular updating of the digital database.