Online building approvals by GHMC
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has taken a crucial decision for the integration of online building approvals with occupancy certificates and assessment of property tax. This would enable GHMC to bring in more transparency into the system, avoid inordinate delays and check corruption to a large extend. The GHMCs town planning wing has already initiated an experimental study of accepting online applications. It is expected that the full fledged implementation of online clearance would begin in a month’s time after the municipal administration and urban development department issues the necessary government order which is needed to initiate the process.
AutoDCR software and its applications:
It was informed by GHMC officials that building permissions would be granted within 15 days after the process of online application and approval system is initiated. The permissions that will be granted will be for buildings upto ground plus four floors, at the circle and zonal level. Moreover, applications for high-rise buildings would be cleared by the GHMC at its head office. Building permissions would be granted by the corporation using the AutoDCR software for their scrutiny and approval, which is custom-made to suit the building rules relating to Andhra Pradesh. A similar software is being used for the clearance of building application in other cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Pune, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.
An important advantage of this software is that it is able to identify CAD drawings and maps automatically as soon as they are uploaded for approval. It will also provide information as to whether the building plan adheres to the rules governing the construction of buildings. In case it rejects the building plan, the reason behind the rejection is mentioned. Besides, the software also generates Financial Soundness Indicator (FSI) tables, area statement tables, fee and other important data that can be used as a ready reference. Moreover, the software negates the chances of omisions which may arise during manual scrutiny, thereby nullifying the possibility of corrupt practices. In addition, it also sends automatic emails and SMSs once the building plans are approved.
Software to ease work load of the GHMC:
As announced by the additional commissioner (Planning and Projects) of GHMC, nearly 100 special mobile phones have been procured which are loaded with this software. They are being provided to section officers of the town planning wing which are used by them during their visits to the proposed sites of construction for taking images of sites during various stages of construction. These images are later uploaded from the mobile phone to the files of the respective building. Integration of the software with online permissions for occupancy certificate (OC) once the building is completed is also under consideration. Any violations or deviations in the building will be pointed out after the software makes a check on the latest building images. Following the issuance of the OC, property tax will be accessed for the building.
Approvals are given for construction of 10,000 buildings every year in the city by the GHMC. While approvals for non-high rise buildings by the town planning staff take several months, for high rise buildings, approvals take upto six months. To ensure greater accountability on the part of the town planning staff, delay in approval of buildings would invite penalisation.
