Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to form a committee to prepare a list of assets it owns. The move is aimed at identifying buildings and plots currently occupied by squatters.

A proposal to this effect was mentioned in the PMC budget that was approved by the corporation board on Thursday. The committee will comprise senior PMC officials and private surveyors as members.

“According to Section 105 of Bihar Municipal Act, 2007, every municipal body in the state has to prepare an inventory of properties that it owns. However, PMC never did this exercise. We want to take up and finish the exercise within the next two-three months,” PMC mayor Afzal Imam said.

According to the provisions of the act, the empowered standing committee of the corporation should maintain a register and a map of all immovable properties of which the civic body is the owner or which the urban local body holds in trust for the government, and a register of all movable properties belonging to the civic body.

The act further says that in case of the inventory of an immovable property, the empowered standing committee should also prepare an annual statement indicating the changes, if any, and present it before the corporation board every year along with the budget estimate. “Once we prepare the list, it will help us identify the plots that have been encroached. It will also help utilise our plots and buildings better,” said Imam.

According to estimates, the PMC holds ownership of at least 400 acres in prime localities of the city, the present market price of which exceeds Rs 3,500 crore. However, the plots are scattered across the corporation area and have been in the clutches of land mafia for the past several years.

Similarly, the civic body also owns a number of buildings, which remain unused because of lack of maintenance and administrative apathy.

If the corporation manages to reclaim possession of the plots and uses them for residential and commercial projects according to legal provisions, it will benefit thousands of people and property prices would decrease marginally, sources said.

Around a year ago, a private consultant was hired to study and survey the land available with the corporation. However, it stopped its services midway over payment issues.

The civic body plans to start the exercise afresh. “There are also plans to propose projects on these plots after we get them freed. Once we have a detailed map of our properties, we will be in a better position to come up with a development plan for the city or decide in what way we can use them according to the Master Plan 2021. However, the entire thing will take some time,” Imam added.