The government is easing rules for granting construction permits around airports and monuments by developing colour-coded maps in a bid to give fillip to urban growth, a spokesman for Urban Development Ministry said on Tuesday.
Developers have to get permits from Airport Authority of India (AII) in New Delhi to build projects around the country’s airports. “It took a hell lot of time,” said spokesman, Aishwar Rao. “At AII, the process of clearing such applications is manual.”
“AII has come out with colour-coded zonal map,” said Mr. Rao. “The airspaces used by jetliners for landings and take offs are highlighted in the map. No construction will be allowed in such spaces.” Construction would be allowed in those areas that fall out of “colour coded” zones, he said.
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“Developers don’t have to come all the way to Delhi to get building height clearances among others. The government will soon empower urban local bodies to follow the colour-coded zonal maps and authorise real estate development accordingly,” he said.
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting on the issue in which Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javdekar and Minister of Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma were present. Mr. Naidu urged other ministries to simplify the authorisation of construction permits around airports and other ecologically or culturally sensitive areas.
In July 2015, Mr. Naidu had reached out to all the ministries, asking them to amend the laws that hamper the real estate growth across the country. The ministries had responded positively, agreeing to fix the gaps by the end of 2015.
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Jaipur International Airport is the first one to develop a colour-coded map. All the other civilian airports across India, including 28 defence airports that are being used for civilian purposes, will have their maps ready by December 2016.
Ministry of Civil Aviation has also commissioned “improved version” of online NOCAS (No Objection Certificate Application System) to help applicants calculate permissible heights in airport zones.
Similarly, the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with ISRO is developing colour-coded maps for 281 monuments that fall in construction zones.
Ministry of Culture has launched a mobile app that enables online approvals for construction around monuments in just 72 hours. “Our goal is to give momentum to the urban growth,” said Mr.Rao.