A Welcome ( though long overdue ) Step

Following report appeared in today’s Times of India :

Building nods: All agencies may hop aboard BMC online system

Extract :

The government may ask various planning authorities in the city to keep a common interface and use the BMC single-window system to accept and process all building construction applications

The aim is to expedite the approval process and check corruption

The Central Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs had discussed the issue with BMC and other stakeholders recently

Sources said the Union Ministry was keen to have the system and will discuss the issue with the State Government and other agencies jointly soon

There are FIVE planning authorities in the city…………  Currently builders submit the construction file to the respective agencies under whose jurisdiction their land falls

The builders than need to approach the BMC – in cases the BMC is not the planning authority for the area where the plot falls – to get NOCs for drainage, sewage and water department along with the DP remark

Builders also need to approach the collector officer for property card remark for properties in any part of the city

The BMC re-engineered its BUILDING  PROPOSAL  SOFTWARE ( Auto – DCR ) two years after spending Rs 12 crores and integrated it with the Collector office and other agencies

  

Why is it that I get a feeling that this ( no doubt , progressive ) step , still falls short of ideal ?

Here is what I suggested ( through email to Central Ministry / CM – Maharashtra / BMC ) , way back on 04  NOV  2015  :

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

I believe there is tremendous scope to further streamline and digitize this approval process, in the nature of

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

01    Sept  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

. 

.. 

Thank You , Shri Acharyuluji

Thank  You , Shri  Acharyuluji

[ madabhushisridhar@gov.in ]

Just read your comments in :

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/disclose-what-action-taken-against-wilful-defaulters-over-rs-50-cr-loans-cic-to-govt-rbi/article24810277.ece

which reads :

  

“ The Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu pointed out that the defaulters of small amounts like farmers are defamed in public, while the defaulters above Rs 50 crore were given long rope.

  

“ They lived by and died in the agricultural fields believing in mother earth, but did not leave mother land like 7000 rich, educated corporate industrialists who cheated the nation by evading thousands of crores,”  Acharyulu said.

Many thanks for your blunt talk , which [ unlike my following e mail to the Policy Makers , some 3 years back ] will be heard and acted upon :

=======================================================

Bank  Re-Capitalization  ?  [  23  June  2015  ]

 Here is a layman's understanding :

*   Bank executives give Rs 4 Lakh Crores worth loans to

    Industrialists / Businessmen ( who , sometimes happen to be

    close relatives / friends )

     

*   Bankers " forget " to examine past records of loan-repayments

     by these individuals 

 

*  Banks do not share among themselves info about " black-listed "

    borrowers

*  Banks " forget " to inquire if a loanee is a " Benami " company

*  Banks do not incorporate stringent clauses in loan agreements (

    on purpose )

*  Banks adopt " Forget & Forgive " approach to defaulters

*  For loan recovery , bankers wait for other  bankers to take the

    lead

*  Before taking action , bankers check-out with people in power

*  When sinking under the burden of NPA , bankers run to

    Government of India to bail them out through " Bank Re-

    Capitalization "

   

*  Government oblige by giving money to stressed banks, so that

    they can survive

*  Government rationalize its bail out by saying, " depositors must

    be protected " . Sounds so reassuring  !

*  Government then goes out and raises taxes ( direct + indirect )

    to balance its books  ( Current Account Deficit ? )

   

IN A NUTSHELL :

*  Eventually , honest tax-payers foot the bill, one way or the other 

*  7,000 + loan-defaulting swindlers spend vacation in Switzerland

    with family ( and their politician friends ) - till they are ready to

    borrow more !

 
   

*  Bankers vie with each other to " Re-Schedule Payments " and

    advance fresh loans to pay off old loans ( Rs 4 lakh Cr of NPA ).

    If EU / IMF can do this for Greece , why cannot we ?

 
*  Government will take pride in " Bold Banking Reforms "( to

    please IMF ? )

*  As a Nation , we are very compassionate !  We cannot let any

    institution die !

 
  We are obsessed with keeping it alive at any cost . We must ,

  forever , keep it alive with artificial ventilation / blood transfusion !

 

    It is time to re-think : 

    When a person or an Institution just cannot be kept alive , it

    must be allowed to die , in a dignified way !

 

Would it not be far better to protect the small bank-depositors by returning their deposits ,  rather than infuse Rs 4 lakh Crores into these banks , by way of re-capitalization ?

 
Am I missing out on something that economists know better ?

31  Aug  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Future of Advertising

I just came across following news :

Google reportedly bought Mastercard data to link online ads with offline purchases

 

If you’re a Mastercard holder in the US, Google has reportedly been tracking whether you are influenced by online ads in your offline purchases for the past year

Neither Google nor Mastercard have publicly announced the partnership, and neither company let its customers know that their offline purchases are being tracked through Mastercard purchase histories and correlated with online ad interactions

Two days back ,I sent following e mail to Shri Rajan Anandan of Google

[  'ranandan@google.com'  /  'rajan@google.com'   /  @RajanAnandan   ]

Dear  Rajan,

Does following  appear  doable  ?

Google Ads - Coming Soon to Billboard Near You ?

https://lnkd.in/fQn8w46

But Ads , either on our TV screens or on a Billboard, are STATIC

It is only a matter of time before Google starts displaying on the sides of city transport buses , DYNAMIC and CONTEXTUAL advts !

This concept has immense possibilities in a country like India where thousands of pedestrians are all the time walking on roads

Say , a spectacle-wearing pedestrian is standing on the footpath , in front of a shop of SUNAYAN OPTICIANS and sees a BEST bus approaching .

He had visited an eye doctor in the morning ( record on Mobile )

Lo and behold ! He sees on the side of the bus , an ADVT from SUNAYAN OPTICIANS , saying : FREE eye check up for the next 15 minutes !

That advt turns into an ad from AJANTA CHEMIST ( located 50 feet away down the road ) , where a pedestrian has a mobile in his hand , using which , he had ordered PENTOCID tablets in the morning

To his amazement , he notices that the Google Ad urges him to buy ANTACID tablets at 20 % discount - of course, from AJANTA CHEMIST !

But this required both those guys to be “ watching “ those ads on the sides of a moving bus

Now , if you are wondering :

how Google will manage to deliver Ads to you if you are sleeping with your eyes closed , no need to wonder

Google is developing devices ( Smart phones / Smart watches / Wrist bands / Google Assistant and even contact lenses with Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality / Brain Computer Interfaces and a hundred other IoT devices surrounding you 24x7  ) , all of which will “ deliver “ those Ads to your brain where these Ads will appear like “ Dreams “ !

Who knows , these “ dreams “ might one day , even deliver “ solutions “ to your problems ( no need to “ search “ for solutions in Google Search bar !

Millions may not care what Google knows about them ( - and how it got to know all about them ) , if Google can make their lives “ less miserable / less struggle / more convenient / more comfortable / more happy “

For them , it could well be :  Privacy ko maro Goli 

31  Aug  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs