A large-scale digital mapping exercise targeting informal settlements across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is set to reshape how urban rehabilitation projects are planned and implemented in the rapidly expanding metropolitan region. Authorities have initiated a GIS-based slum survey combined with biometric verification to build a verified database of residents, structures, and land occupation patterns amid growing concerns over unregulated urban expansion. The initiative comes at a time when the region’s urban footprint is widening following the inclusion of several peripheral villages into municipal limits. Officials involved in the exercise indicated that existing slum records no longer reflect the current scale and density of informal housing clusters, creating delays in redevelopment approvals, disputes over eligibility, and infrastructure planning challenges.
According to administrative estimates, more than 550 notified slum settlements currently fall under the jurisdiction of the rehabilitation authority operating across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. However, planners believe the actual spread of informal settlements may be significantly higher in newly urbanised fringe zones where migration and housing shortages continue to intensify. Under the GIS slum survey programme, drone-based three-dimensional mapping technology will be used to capture detailed spatial data of hutments and settlement boundaries. Each dwelling unit will receive a unique digital identification number linked to occupant records. Authorities are also planning biometric registration and document verification to establish an authenticated database intended to reduce duplication, ownership disputes, and irregular claims during future rehabilitation projects.
Urban planners say the exercise reflects a broader shift towards data-driven governance in Indian cities where informal housing often develops faster than official planning systems can respond. Accurate mapping of settlement patterns is increasingly being viewed as essential for infrastructure provisioning, flood-risk assessment, sanitation planning, mobility integration, and climate resilience strategies in dense urban regions. The GIS slum survey is also expected to influence land-use planning and redevelopment economics in Pune’s high-growth corridors. Industry observers note that unclear records and inconsistent beneficiary identification have historically slowed slum rehabilitation schemes, affecting both project viability and timely delivery of affordable housing. Digitised settlement records may help improve coordination between civic agencies, infrastructure departments, and housing authorities.
Officials associated with the programme stated that the mapping exercise will first focus on identifying the exact geographical spread of settlements in newly merged areas before integrating the data into a centralised digital system. A pilot conducted earlier in one settlement reportedly demonstrated improvements in verification accuracy and field coordination. Experts in inclusive urban development caution, however, that technological mapping alone cannot resolve deeper issues surrounding affordable housing shortages, tenure insecurity, and access to public services. They argue that rehabilitation frameworks must remain people-centric and transparent, particularly for vulnerable residents dependent on informal economies. As Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad continue to urbanise at a rapid pace, the success of the GIS slum survey could become a critical test of how Indian cities balance redevelopment ambitions with equitable and climate-resilient urban growth.
