Thiruvananthapuram: Ksmart, the unified software from the Local Self-Government Department, is gearing up for a major upgrade. The upgrade will empower the public to identify properties with construction bans or restrictions with a click.

The upcoming "Know Your Land" application will integrate additional maps into the platform, enabling users to verify if a property has any restrictions or bans before making a purchase. Currently, the software includes maps for airports, railway buffer zones, high-tension power lines, and potential landslide zones.

As part of the upgrade, maps of master plans by urban civic bodies, coastal regulation zones (CRZ), and GAIL pipelines will also be incorporated. Ksmart will also have the capability to enforce temporary construction regulations in specific locations for defined periods.

Digital Door PIN next year
Starting next year, the Digital Door PIN (DD PIN) system will be implemented for all buildings to streamline the collection of building tax. This ten-digit number will uniquely represent a building's complete address and will remain unchanged despite administrative changes such as ward delimitation. Since this number will be essential for obtaining government permissions, building owners will have no choice but to pay their building taxes to remain compliant.

Over the past year, up to December 20, urban civic body officials across Kerala processed an impressive 1.43 lakh applications via Ksmart during holidays and after regular office hours. Out of 27.2 lakh applications received, 20.3 lakh were resolved during this period, with 7 per cent handled remotely by officials from their homes.

The software has also introduced video KYC for marriage certificates, enabling 15,000 couples to obtain certificates without visiting government offices. For emergency cases, some dedicated officials process applications even after returning home. However, there are instances where officials delay file processing unnecessarily. The department plans to take strict action against such delays under the Right to Service Act. With Ksmart's capability to track file processing times, the system allows the department to act against erring officials without requiring formal complaints.

Now that a year has passed since Ksmart’s implementation, the government considers the “honeymoon period” to be over and expects improved efficiency from all users.

Certificates at record speeds
The software has significantly sped up the issuance of various certificates:
Birth certificates: Irinjalakuda municipality (1 minute)
Death certificates: Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation (1 minute)
Marriage certificates: Guruvayur municipality (6 minutes)