Blog

Thursday 19 May 2016

Congratulations , Vinod Chithore !

DNA ( 19 May 2016 ) carries news report titled :

" Now, info on residential projects just a click away "

Part of this report reads :

" From May 15, the BMC has brought the entire building proposal system online which means that from the time of proposal submission till the building completion the entire process would be online.

While on trial basis we did begin the process in May 2015, but it is only on May 15, 2016 that the entire process has been brought online.

There would not be any human inference in any of the proposals and once submitted on the website it would go to the different departments in a parallel manner for clearance," said Vinod Chithore, chief engineer (DP).

Congratulations , Shri Chithore !

This is indeed , a great e-Governance step

But , there is scope for improvement , as suggested in my following blog dt 04 Nov 2015 :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SELF CERTIFICATION FOR BUILDERS ?

In Hindustan Times ( Oct 29 ) , Moushumi Das Gupta writes :

Govt to streamline rules for Construction Projects

Currently , a builder requires as many as 34 kinds of permits from two dozen Ministries, before starting construction

This process takes up to 3 years

Now, Central Govt has initiated a process to streamline the approvals required to ensure that builders get all the construction permits within 60 days

Eg:

* Built up Area............. Environment Ministry

* Height Restriction...... .Civil Aviation Ministry

Cabinet Secretary has directed all the Ministries to come out with notifications by end Dec 2015

The Centre has decided to empower Municipalities to grant all construction related approvals , based on these notifications

One would be able to get all approvals from under one roof , which in this case , would be the Municipal Corporation's office

Although a very laudable initiative , 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

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20 May 2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Algorithm based Salary ?

DNA ( 19 May 2016 ) carries a report, titled :

" Beam DCR to help BMC tackle illegal construction "

The report reads :

In several cases, the buildings are completed and then the developers extend or raise additional floors without BMC's consent or approval. These buildings pose a risk not only to the health of the building but to the lives of the residents staying in the building

"The satellite images will be taken by the BMC and will be preserved on the server. These images will be fed in Beam DCR system with advanced technology which will give 3D images. These images will be compared time to time and action will be taken if there are any changes. The images will be able to give correct idea of each corner and beams of the building if they are changed, tampered or altered," said Vinod Chithore, chief engineer DP.

QUESTION :

Why not use this very same technology to clear the encroachment of our footpaths by the vendors ?

ANSWER :

Just implement my following suggestion ( blog dt : 12 Dec 2015 ) :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 DOWN : 1 TO GO !

2 months back , Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, Shri Ajoy Mehta asked all his officers , to prepare a 3 month action plan for removal of commercial encroachments (not religious ) , from footpaths ( DNA / 04 Oct , 2015 )

He added,

" Once the encroachment is cleared from the footpath , ward staff will have to ensure that it does not come up again . Prepare lists of encroachments with photographs and video recordings , as evidence "

Questions :

# How many months are required to prepare a " 3 month " Action Plan ?

# How often should ward officers take those photos / videos ? Once a month ?

# Can they re-submit ( again and again ) same photo / video of a cleared footpath ?

# If footpaths get permanently cleared of the encroachments , what happens to their " haftas " ?

Leaving aside the last question , technically , it is not all that difficult to monitor those footpaths , 24 hours of the day

Mumbai Police is installing some 2,000 CCTV cameras all over the city to capture the terrorists

London has 500,000 CCTV cameras to cover every nook and corner ,24 hours !

So monitoring footpaths of Mumbai , by installing 50,000 CCTV cameras, on 24 hour basis, is not a problem

And funds are no problem either , with MCGM having spent only 22 % of its Rs 33,000 crore budget so far , in the current year !

On top of that , it is having fixed deposits worth Rs 45,000 Crores in banks !

After installing those 50,000 video cameras , use following software ( embedded in a computerized CCTV network ) to compute the monthly salary of each ward officer :

Salary Payable / Payroll Salary =

( Length of footpath in his ward, clear of encroachment * Percentage of time free of encroachment )

divided by

( Total Length of footpath * Total Hours in that Month )

ie: Ratio of " Clear Kilometer*Hours / Total Kilometer*Hours "

Then expect a miracle of E-Governance thru innovative digitization !

Remember , Algorithms are transparent / unbiased / impartial , unlike human beings !

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20 May 2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make Yourself Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

By emailing this suggestion - incorporating your OWN improvements - to the following Policy Makers

( Just multiple copy all the following Email IDs into the Recipient column of your Outlook and Copy / paste this suggestion in the Message Box ) :

narendramodi1234@gmail.com; 38ashokroad@gmail.com;ajaitley@del5.vsnl.net.in; jayant.sinha19@sansad.nic.in;piyush.goyal@gov.in;nitin.gadkari@nic.in; spprabhu1@rediffmail.com;bandaru@sansad.nic.in;smritizirani@nic.in;nsitharaman@nic.in; ravis@sansad.nic.in;sureshprabhu@irctc.co.in;prakash.j@sansad.nic.in;secy-ipp@nic.in; amitabh.kant@nic.in; shaktikanta.das@nic.in; rsecy@nic.in; adhia1981@gmail.com; ceo-niti@nic.in; atul-chaturvedi@nic.in; uma.bharati@sansad.nic.in; d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in; rprudy.office@gmail.com; rudypr@rediffmail.com; eam@mea.gov.in; mosvks@mea.gov.in; mvnaidu@sansad.nic.in; mnaqvi@sansad.nic.in; rao.inderjit@sansad.nic.in; mljoffice@gov.in; sadananda.gowda@sansad.nic.in; ministerminority@gov.in; najmah@sansad.nic.in; minister-ca@nic.in; ramvilas.paswan@sansad.nic.in; gandhim@sansad.nic.in; akumar-alpha@sansad.nic.in; jpnadda@sansad.nic.in; hm.moca@nic.in; geete@sansad.nic.in; simratbadal@yahoo.com; ns.tomar@nic.in; rmsingh@sansad.nic.in; tc.gehlot@sansad.nic.in; dr.harshvardhan@sansad.nic.in

Harness " Greed " to " Skill India "

MINT ( 17 May 2016 ) carries a report titled :

" Govt taps profitable PSUs for Skill India Mission "

As per this report , Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy , Skills Development Minister , has asked all profitable PSUs to take in apprentices equal to 2.5 % of their total workforce

With barely 50-60 PSUs which are " profitable " , this directive is unlikely make a dent , as far as Government target of training 120 million persons by 2020 is concerned

REASON ?

As of now , a total of 28,500 industrial establishments ( Public Sector + Private Sector ) , between them , have 200,000 apprentices . Adding 50/60 " profitable " PSUs cannot make much of a difference !

CONTRAST :

As against our total of 2 lakh apprentices , China has 300 lakh !

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ?

> JOB CREATION

We should , simultaneously amend the Apprentice Act - 1951

Under the amended Act , every factory will be required to take fresh

Apprentices in the ratio of 1 : 3 ( one trainee for three permanent

employees , in each trade ) , instead of current prescribed ratio of 1:7

This will create a huge demand for ITI trained students

> COST REDUCTION

Since ITI trained apprentices are paid a stipend ( generally 20 % of the

wages paid to regular / permanent / skilled workers ) , this will sharply

reduce the manpower costs of manufacturing units

This will lead to India becoming a " Low Cost Economy " and increase the

competitiveness of our products , in the international markets , thereby

boosting our exports ( currently , a meager 1.7 % of World Trade ! )

This is the major reason why Foxcon ( Taiwan ) wants to put up 10

factories in India , at an investment of $ 20 billion

> ADVANTAGE , MSME

Under amended Apprentice Act , permit MSME to retain ITI trained skilled

workers , on a stipend-basis , for 4 years ( instead of current 2 years )

This lowering of wages will make MSME very competitive in their cost.

In turn , this will encourage large organized factories to outsource /

sub-contract more components to MSME , instead of manufacturing

in-house

This will result in a robust " Supply Chain Eco-System "

It is such an Eco-System in China , which compels Apple to have 331

Component-Suppliers in China as against ONE supplier from India !

> PRODUCT QUALITY

Product quality depends upon quality of skilled manpower coming out of

ITIs

When lakhs of ITIs are competing with one another for attracting

students , each will try to raise the quality of its training

When such highly trained students enter work force , quality of " Make

in India " products , is bound to rise

> PERCENTAGE OF SKILLED WORKERS

Of the total work force , percentage of skilled workers in India today , is

meager 3.5 % , as against 96 % in South Korea !

If my suggestion gets implemented , we should be able to raise this

figure to at least 50 % in next 10 years !

> DEMAND FOR TEACHERS

There will be a huge surge in demand for Highly Skilled persons to act as

teachers / trainers in 4.4 lakh ITIs

> SELF EMPLOYMENT

MUDRA bank will provide loans to ITI trained skilled workers to set up

themselves as local area Carpenters / Electricians / Plumbers / Welders /

Masons / Repairers etc

Thousands of ITI trained workers will tend to become Self Employed

Just tell our 50 million MSMEs ( and all larger units, as well ) :

* " Train " Apprentices ( low cost labour ) , then

* " Hire " them for longer periods ( - again , low cost labour ) ,

* Reduce your manufacturing cost ( to become competitive world-wide ) ,

* Become more profitable ( and sooner )

It is time to stop tinkering with persuading of PSUs

It is time to harness " Greed " to " Skill India "

-------------------------------------------------------------------

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

19 May 2016

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make Yourself Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

By emailing this suggestion - incorporating your OWN improvements - to the following Policy Makers

( Just multiple copy all the following Email IDs into the Recipient column of your Outlook and Copy / paste this suggestion in the Message Box ) :