LUDHIANA: Approval for residential building plans for plot sizes up to 500 square yards will just be a click away with the department of local bodies notifying a scheme under which city residents, though empanelled private experts, can submit their building plans online to the local body’s town planning wing.
Once submitted, the plan will deemed to have been approved if the official responsible for approving the plan does not raise an objection in 10 days. Although the facility of online approval has been there, notification through empanelled experts and 10-day approval have made the process smoother for applicants.
As of now, residents face a tough time getting approvals for building plans owing to delayed approvals by the authorities due to high work load. The state government recently approved this amendment in building bylaws and the civic body officials have received the notification as well.
The notification says that architects/engineers/designers and supervisors empanelled by the local body under the self certification scheme shall upload all the mandatory documents like proof of empanelment, undertaking to supervise construction, building plan scrutiny, processing fee and other applicable fees or taxes etc. The owner will also have to certify that he or she has appointed the person and he is the sole owner of the plot.
Also, the site should not be on any prohibited area/government land/encroachment or any other land restricted for building construction or in an unauthorised colony. Once the online portal (E-naksha) of Punjab local govt clears the building plan, it would be approved automatically and digitally countersigned by the official concerned. The counter signature will bear the phrase that the plan has been sanctioned in view of self certification by architects/engineers/designers/supervisors, as the case may be. The municipal corporation, committee or nagar panchayat reserves the right to verify the plan.Empanelled architects can download the approved plan after depositing requisite fee/charges. This process is without any intervention from the municipal authority concerned. “If any information is found to be wrong, necessary penal proceedings will be initiated, besides debarring architects, engineers, designers and supervisors from practicing in any ULB of Punjab. The applicant will be liable for punishment, which includes levy of penalty, demolition or sealing of the property as per law,” reads the notification.
Applicants who do not wish to opt for self certification can continue to get approval through the traditional method. Assistant town planner Harvinder Honey said, “The scheme will be beneficial for people as most of the residential construction is under 500 square yards and it takes a lot of time in getting approvals from the staff due to multiple tasks. Residents get their building plans ready with the help of architects and now they will be able to get it approved through them. Around 100 architects in the city are empanelled with the MC.”
