Why 60 Days ? Can Be in 10 !

Times of India ( 10 Dec ) carries following news report :

Online Building Approval System to cover 500 Cities 

All the 500 cities covered under Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation (AMRUT) will introduce online building approval system in the next one year, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Currently, this facility for citizens is available only in Delhi and Mumbai where the period for sanctioning building plan has reduced to 60 days.

Under the online system, an applicant just has to fill one centralised form and the application is automatically forwarded to the agencies concerned like the municipality, water supply agency and fire department.

Since there is no physical interaction between the applicant and government officials, there is hardly any scope of paying a bribe.

"The agencies concerned have to approve or give the reason for not approving the plans.

This system is transparent. The online system minimises hassles that people face. 

States like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have delegated the power of giving environmental clearance for buildings up to certain coverage area to local authorities. We expect more states will follow suit," said a housing ministry official.

Since the online building permit system started in Mumbai, the number of procedures from beginning to the end has been reduced from 42 to only eight and in Delhi, these have come down from earlier 29 procedures to only eight.

Similarly, the number of days for completing the process has been reduced to 60 in both cities in comparison to the earlier practice of nearly six months in Mumbai and over seven months in Delhi.

Dear Shri Hardeep Singh Puriji  ,

Imagine this scenario :

India’s rank on “ Ease of Doing Business “ moves up from current 100 to 50 , in 2018 !

It is possible if your Ministry fully implements my following suggestion ( - now, only partly implemented ) , sent to the Cabinet , TWO YEARS ago ( 04 Nov 2015 ) :

SELFCERTIFICATION FOR BUILDERS ?

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/11/self-certification-for-builders.html

E-Delivery of Services to Construction Industry

Here is how :

*  All builders / developers must register on Municipal Web sites and obtain

   unique BUILDER REGISTRATION NUMBER

*  Builders must fill in online, on web site of concerned Municipality, a form :

    BUILDING  PERMIT  APPLICATION

*  Building Permit Application Form will have a STANDARD FORMAT , into

    which applicant will need to submit exhaustive details re the project

    This will include detailed Floor Plans and Structural Drawings , along with

    names / contact details of Architects / Structural Engineers etc

    The FORM will require slab-casting dates for each slab and the final

    completion date when builder will apply for Occupation Certificate

   

*  The Form will have a section called

    SELF   CERTIFICATION   /  DECLARATION

    Builder would be required to tick YES / NO against each item as shown :

    Does your proposed Building / Structure / Project , satisfy the criteria /

    notifications / regulations , issued by the concerned Ministries in respect

    of :

    #   Built-up Area........... ( YES ) / ( NO )

    #   Height Restriction

    #   Fire Fighting

    #   Water Harvesting

    #   Roof-top Solar Power

    #   Effluent Treatment

    #   Garbage Disposal

    #   Earthquake Resistant Structural Design..............etc

Clicking on each item will reveal the relevant " Notification / Regulation " issued by the concerned Ministry

To make the process absolutely fool-proof , the form will insist on an " Electronic Signature " of the applicant

DECLARATION / UNDERTAKING :

" I declare that I have read each and every notification / regulation , listed   in respect of items mentioned above

I further declare that I explicitly agree to abide by these regulations

I am aware that Occupation Certificate will not be granted if my completed project is found to be in violation of any of these notifications / regulations

I will not allow any person / entity to occupy any part of this premises , until and unless , Municipality issues to me , the Occupation Certificate

If Municipality finds any violations , I agree to rectify the same before applying for a fresh Occupation Certificate

If Municipality is not in a position to issue Occupation Certificate due to any

violations which simply cannot be rectified , then I will demolish the said building / project / structure  on my own and before such demolition , refund with interest , payments collected from the buyers

The plot of land is free from any encumbrances / litigations

I am not in default of any loans taken from any bank / individuals

I will not accept any payment in cash , nor make cash payments

I absolve the Municipal Corporation of any liability arising out of non completion of my project 

I agree that my Building Permit Application and my Registration Application details , be made accessible to public on your web site , along with full details of my past / current projects and full details of my balance sheet / bank borrowings  " 

GRANT OF APPROVALS BY MINISTRIES :

As soon as the builder submits the online BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION , it automatically and instantly , appears on the web sites of ALL the concerned Ministries

The concerned officer of each Ministry , makes APPROVED / REJECTED entries in the application form , from the backend

If rejected , he will provide the reasons

Ministry officers are required to carry out this entry , within 24 hours

As soon as an officer of any Ministry makes entry and SUBMITS , the application forms on web sites of ALL Ministries and web site of the concerned Municipality , get updated simultaneously and instantly , making for MIRROR IMAGES at all times

As soon as any entry is made , a copy gets emailed to the applicant builder

Any " editing " of the application form by the builder , will start the entire process , all over

Applicant builder will be obliged to display the latest emailed form at the site

The database so created on web sites of ALL Ministries - and concerned Municipality - will be searchable State-wise / City-wise

CHANGES  IN  RELEVANT  LAWS :

To speed up any litigation between the parties concerned ( Builder / Buyers / Central & State Govts / Municipality / Bankers etc ) , existing laws may be changed

IMPORTANT :

Every application must be in the open domain and visible to anyone , online and transparently

There should be provision for any visitor of the web site to report any abuse / violation of regulations or any objection to the proposed construction

ADVANTAGES :

If such SELF CERTIFICATION process is implemented , it should be possible for India to beat Singapore , where getting 11 approval takes only 26 days !

It would be ZERO days in our case !

Now couple this with abolition of Corporate Income Tax for Construction Industry for the next 10 years and witness a MIRACLE

Then only it would become possible for achieving the following targets set by different States / Centre , under HOUSING  FOR  ALL:

*  Maharashtra...........  5 lakh      ( By 2020 )

*  Gujarat................... 50 lakh    ( 2013 - 2018 )

*  Centre.................... 220 lakh   ( by 2022 )

Also imagine :

*   Employment it would generate

*   FDI it would bring in

*   Our rank in EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

Need of the hour is :

*   Come out of " Analysis Paralysis "

*   Get rid of historical baggage

*   Break free from the legacy of the past

*   Think " Out of Box "

*   Take risk without worrying about possible failure

*   Make Course-Corrections , as you learn what mistakes got made

12  Dec  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs