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Kochi Municipal Corporation's e-governance transition has triggered a major civic disruption, with nearly 50,000 building records missing from the newly implemented K-Smart portal. This breakdown followed Tata Consultancy Services' exit from the project, reportedly due to unpaid dues and delayed timelines. As a result, property owners are unable to access basic services such as property tax payments, building number verifications, and licence renewals. Over 1,450 complaints have already been registered, and opposition members claim the number of affected properties may be significantly higher.
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is grappling with a significant digital governance crisis after tens of thousands of building records were found missing from the recently introduced K-Smart portal. This issue has led to widespread disruption in civic services, particularly in issuing building numbers, property tax payments, and renewals of trade licences. Advertisement
The situation stems from the Corporation's migration from the earlier Integrated Building Permit Management System (IBPMS) and Sanchaya platforms to the K-Smart portal. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the previous e-governance partner, exited the project due to unresolved payment disputes and timeline delays. Following its withdrawal, a substantial volume of critical data, including digital records of around 50,000 properties, was allegedly retained by TCS, leaving the Corporation without complete digital access to its own records.
Civic officials acknowledged that while a majority of data has been retrieved with the help of the Information Kerala Mission, a significant portion remains inaccessible. The transition has left many property owners unable to complete tax transactions or obtain official documentation, with the issues often surfacing only when users attempt to log in to the new portal.
The number of formal complaints has already exceeded 1,450. However, many suggest this is only a fraction of the actual scenario. While the Corporation claims that it has largely recovered lost data, it has not yet provided clarity on the exact number of buildings still affected or an official timeline for full resolution. Meanwhile, residents continue to face operational delays, repeated document submissions, and bureaucratic bottlenecks while attempting to regularise their property records.
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