Citizens and real estate developers will soon be able to get approval for building and house plans with ease. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), on Friday, launched a beta version of its single-window digital platform that people can access online to apply for construction permits and building plan approvals.
Civic officials promise that with this new system – which will bring about transparency and accountability – plans will be verified and approved within 45 days. The platform has integrated all the government agencies and departments that issue No Objection Certificates (NoC). Sanction plans will be given within 18 days, the commencement certificate within nine days and, if all documents are approved, the occupancy certificate will be issued within 18 days.
In the current system, a majority of the processes are manual. Home-owners and builders have to go through 54 different processes to get all the clearances.
“All of them have been reduced to 10 procedures now,” said BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar.
Trial period
The new Online Building Plan Approval System developed under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) went live on Friday. Mr. Kumar said that the new system will be available before April 1. “We are in a trial period now. Based on the experience and practical aspects, we will fine-tune it and launch the platform within a month,” he said.
In the new system, structures will be classified into five risk categories depending on the number of storeys, space, and other factors. The platform will allow for empanelled architects to approve plans. The BBMP will also be training interested engineers and architects in the rules and regulations.
The new system aims to make the process hassle-free as possible as it will introduce single payment of fees to all agencies.
Mayor M. Goutham Kumar said that senior BBMP officials and elected representatives had visited the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to study how the system works in Mumbai. “These reforms will attract more investors to the city, give the economy a boost and increase employment opportunities in Bengaluru,” he said.
