The GHMC has decided to utilise the services of empanelled architects, structural engineers to take up the scrutiny of building permissions so that its own town planning wing can concentrate on the enforcement part.
Soon, an open call will be made for the professionals' empanelment for the municipal corporation to enter into a memorandum of understanding with them. Empanelled architects and structural engineers should take up regular inspections of a building under construction during all stages till the occupancy certificate is issued, said Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu.
Move to reduce burden
Addressing a meeting of builders, architects and structural engineers on Friday flanked by Additional Commissioner (Planning) K. Dhananjaya Reddy, chief city planner G.V. Raghu, Mr. Krishna Babu said: “We are unable to pinpoint responsibility for illegal buildings under the present system. Empanelling professionals does not entail an extra fee for the applicant and it is no green channel. It's only an effort to reduce ‘burden' on planning staff”.
“The Town Planning staff have been claiming that scrutiny as well as keeping track of constructions at various stages is difficult and is affecting the process of clearing building permissions,” he explained. A nine member team consisting of members from the builders, architects and engineers has been formed to work out modalities for the scrutiny. Once a building construction periodic progress reports based on an architect's or engineer's scrutiny is posted on the Off Site Real Time (OSRT), buildings up to four floors would be crosschecked by the Assistant City Planners and buildings above five floors would be checked by the Assistant City Planners.
Structural engineers and architects' fees for buildings of five floors and above would be borne by the builders concerned. If deviations are noticed by the enforcement staff and not indicated by the professionals' scrutiny report, the architects or engineers concerned are liable to black listed too after reporting the matter to their respective professional bodies, he added.
