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Bengaluru Civic Body Recovers Rs 35.1 Crore in Property Tax Dues Using AI Voice Calls
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Moneycontrol•30-09-2026, 18:18
Bengaluru Civic Body Recovers Rs 35.1 Crore in Property Tax Dues Using AI Voice Calls
- •Bengaluru West City Corporation deployed AI voice calls to inform property owners about pending tax dues and online payment methods, recovering Rs 35.1 crore.
- •The AI initiative made 4.54 lakh calls, reaching 59,604 property owners in Kannada, leading 26,962 to agree to pay their arrears.
- •Using AI reduced the burden on civic officials, allowing them to focus on complex cases and avoid manual outreach to thousands of defaulters.
- •The campaign helped identify and correct errors in property tax records, including inactive phone numbers and properties with no outstanding dues.
- •The AI solution was developed by Bengaluru-based startup VocalLabs and adapted to local language requirements to enhance revenue collection efficiency.
Key Questions Answered
The civic body used automated AI voice calls twice a day between March and June to inform property owners in Kannada about their outstanding tax amounts, arrears period, and online payment methods, leading to potential recoveries of Rs 35.1 crore from 26,962 willing property owners.
The technology was developed by Bengaluru-based startup VocalLabs, founded by IIT Madras alumni Nilesh Kumar, Mrityunjay Das, and Rag Sanil, to address civic revenue collection challenges and accommodate local language needs.
The Bengaluru civic body cautioned property owners that it will never ask for payments over the phone, OTPs, card numbers, UPI PINs, or bank details, advising them to pay only via the official Karnataka portal or authorized offices.
