Graft recipe: 50+ nods for bldg plans

Mumbai: For a project to kickoff, the developer needs to get more than 50 permissions, including no-objection certificates, from various departments in the municipal corporation and other planning agencies. 
    As civic officials are not held accountable to give approvals for the proposals in a time-bound pattern, the chancesof corruption and projectdelays are high, claim developers and architects. They have suggested a single-window system for clearanceof projects. 
    "Every developer faces several hurdles. He has to get 50-plus approvals from various agencies, and they are not given easily. Also, the rules followed by certain civic departments to give permission clash with other departments," said an architect. 
    For instance, he said, if a building proposal requires an NOC from the railways, the authorities insist that it will be given only after the BMC approves the plan. But the civic body demands the NOC from the railways first before approving the plans. 
    Among the NOCs required are from the fire brigade, rainwater harvesting, title clearancecertificate, assessmentdepartment, solid waste management, water and traffic departments. Also, the architect said, the excavation permission, which is given by the collector, is valid for only three months. But if the officials from the building proposal department do not give a commencement certificate on time, the permission lapses and the developer hasto make a fresh application. "Such contrary policies of giving permissionsleadstocorruption," said another developer. 
    Morethan 800building proposals have been delayed by various departments in the municipal corporation for want of requisite permissions in the last six months, estimatedthePractising EngineersArchitects and Town Planners' Association. 
    According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rules, a file should be approvedwithin 60days. 
    Despite repeated attempts, municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte was not available for comment. 
    Of the 50-plus permissions required to construct a building, 25-30 are basic ones. The builder must get these 25 permissions before a project can be accepted by the civic building proposal department for scrutiny; more remarks and NOCs will be required as the file processedfor approval. 
    The additional approvals aresoughtdepending on thelocation of the construction—if the building is located in an area where several planning agencies areinvolved,the number of approvals required automatically rises. For instance, a building that is listed as a heritage structure will need an additionalNOCfrom theheritage department along with the basic NOCs. If the developer wantstobuild a high-risethere, he will require permission from the high-rise committee, andif the plotiswithin 500m of a railway line, he will also have to take an NOC from the railway authorities. 
    Shirish Sukhatme, president of the Practising Engineers Architects and Town Planners' Association (PEATA), suggested that there should be a single-window system for clearance of projects. He claimed that a few officials obstructtheflowof filesfor petty reasonsleading to projectdelays as a fewNOCslapse. 
CLEARING THE FILE 
After a developer submits his plan to the civic building proposal department, the file goes through various officials before it reaches 
the municipal commissioner for the final nod 
    A sub-engineer or assistant engineer goes through the building proposal, then gives an appointment to the architect to discuss it 
    The sub-engineer puts his remarks, tells the architect to pay the scrutiny fee and forwards the proposal to the assistant engineer, survey, for remarks. He also sends the application to the other civic departments for their remarks 
    After the assistant engineer, survey gives his remarks, the sub-engineer carries out a site inspection 
    After the site inspection, the proposal may be scrutinised again for any query, and is then submitted to the executive engineer or deputy chief engineer 
    Executive engineer or deputy chief engineer will ask the architect to clarify on the points raised after the site inspection 
    After everyone gives the allclear, the file is sent to the chief engineer for approval
    After he clears the file, it is sent to the municipal commissioner for his remarks and final approval