GHMC Launches Drive to Link PTINs with Power Connections

Quick Summary

• The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is working to identify commercial establishments using residential property tax IDs (PTINs) to evade taxes.
• GHMC has partnered with Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company (TGSPDCL). Together, they are mapping PTINs with electricity service connections (USCs).
• Phase I successfully mapped 96,938 residential PTINs linked to non-residential USCs in six GHMC zones:

– Charminar Zone: 26,056 cases.
– Khairatabad: 22,514 cases.- Secunderabad: 22,005 cases.
– LB Nagar: 9,761 cases.- Serilingampally: 9,342 cases.
– Kukatpally: 7,260 cases.

• Phase II added another layer of matching records-22,169-based on door number and name-based matching.
• The initiative aims to improve revenue collection by plugging leaks and ensuring greater accountability through systematic data integration between property usage and power connections.
• GHMC Additional Commissioner Anuraag Jayanthi highlighted the project’s role in boosting efficiency and transparency during a review meeting on Tuesday.
• Mr. Jayanthi also announced plans for decentralising advertisement permissions and shifting applications entirely online.

Indian Opinion analysis

The GHMC’s recent endeavor signals strong efforts to boost local government revenue while tackling tax evasion among commercial entities misusing residential classifications. By systematically linking electricity usage data with property records across phases of implementation, this initiative reflects an emphasis on operational transparency and fiscal responsibility.The scale of mismatches-nearly a lakh in the first phase alone-highlights potential long-standing discrepancies that could significantly enhance municipal revenue streams when rectified. Zones like Charminar and Khairatabad showing higher deviations may point toward specific trends within urban areas warranting targeted investigations or enforcement measures.

Along with improving tax collection efficacy through integrated data systems across institutional partnerships such as TGSPDCL’s involvement alongside GHMC’s Revenue Wing provides a model for future collaborations aimed at governance reforms beyond Hyderabad itself potentially serving national significance learning example systemic-clacity