Balangir, June 5: The district authorities here are all set to adopt a new technology for better town planning.

Along with Balangir, at least 19 villages around the town have been included in the Geographical Information System (GIS) technology to implement better town planning under the remote sensing technology.

According to district town planning officer Akshyaya Kumar Mohanty, the system would integrate, store, edit, analyse, share and display geographic information for decision making regarding town planning.

“Implementation of the technology would include land surveying, archaeology, geography and urban planning. Here we are using it for land surveying and planning of Balangir and 19 nearby villages. The GIS master plan is being prepared for the purpose,” Mohanty said.

The villages in the GIS master plan include Sadaipali, Puintala, Pudapali, Gandhrel, Khujenpali, Malmanda, Patharchepa, Dhumamara, Gaentala, Madhiapali and Barkani. Sources said the technology would use the satellite pictures to examine the infrastructure available in the town and the villages to implement better planning.

“The master plan will be completed in two to three years. When implemented, the master plan will help design the town and the villages based on the satellite pictures showing infrastructure, demography and geography of the place,” Mohanty said.

He said the GIS master plan would ensure that the residents of the town and the villages lived in a planned way.

“The master plan will suggest where to plant trees, where to dig drains and where to have the school. It will suggest as to where and what can be done here and the villages,” he said.

A few years ago, the town planning authorities here had begun planning of the town along with seven villages around Balangir under a different project. “But, that doesn’t hold good any more,” the officer said.

In the first phase, the technology is being used in 11 district headquarters town of Orissa, including Balangir, Balasore, Baripada, Bhadrakh and Bhawanipatna.