Building numbers remain missing from K-Smart within Kochi Corporation limits, as evident from continued complaints by taxpayers who are unable to pay property tax due to the issue. Corporation officials have attributed the problem to possible omissions during the data migration process to the new software.

The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) alleged that thousands of building numbers were missing from K-Smart and blamed the distress of taxpayers—who often need tax receipts for various purposes—on the inefficiency and apathy of the Corporation. The data migration from the earlier Sanchaya software began a couple of years ago.

“Thousands of building numbers went missing from K-Smart due to the absence of the digital signature of the parties concerned. Only cases involving owners who pay tax yearly have come to light. Many more may remain undetected, as a large number of people pay the tax only once in three or four years, especially when they require tax receipts,” said M.G. Aristotle, member of the Corporation’s finance standing committee and UDF parliamentary party secretary.

However, revenue officials of the Corporation insisted that only a negligible building numbers remain missing in K-Smart, attributing it to possible omissions during data entry. “Whenever taxpayers raise such issues, we verify the numbers concerned against the assessment register. Our inspectors then conduct field inspections, and based on their reports, we report the matter to the Information Kerala Mission, which promptly carries out the necessary back-end corrections,” said revenue sources.

Since large parts of the assessment register were illegible due to its archaic nature, the Corporation, with council approval, introduced a system allowing taxpayers—whose numbers were not found in the register despite having paid tax—to self-assess using Form 2. Revenue inspectors then verified these before inclusion in K-Smart.

The demolition of buildings without notifying the Corporation has also added to the problem. “According to Section 240 of the Municipal Act, a building can be demolished only after clearing tax dues. It has emerged that over 1,000 buildings have been demolished, making verification difficult. Data entry omissions are inexcusable, especially since the Corporation spent ₹30 lakh on data entry alone as a precursor to K-Smart’s rollout. Issuing sub-numbers as a temporary fix for missing building numbers will only complicate matters for owners who have recorded the original building numbers in important documents,” said Mr. Aristotle.