A must: Submit building plan online from Oct 1

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 17

The Chandigarh Administration has decided to make online submission of building plans mandatory from October 1 this year. Sources said the UT Finance Department had directed the Estate Office to accept building plans manually till September 30 only. After this, no building plan will be accepted offline.

The Estate Office has also been asked to make necessary arrangements for the implementation of the plan. After preparing for a year, the Chandigarh Administration had launched the online building plan approval system on February 8 this year. However, the offline acceptance of building plans continued due to various issues.

Architects want clarity on several issues, including the online submission of fee. Once implemented, all building plans will be scrutinised automatically. The UT Architecture Department has already issued zoning plans in the digital form. The system will help expedite the scrutiny of building plans, eliminating the lengthy and cumbersome manual process. Punjab and Haryana have already started the online approval system.

Online building plan approval is one of the reforms states must introduce to get funds under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation. It will enable applicants track the status of their applications through SMS, e-mail alerts and MIS reports. It aims at curbing corruption.