Centre sets six-month deadline

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, October 13 

The Centre has fixed a six-month deadline for Chandigarh to make online submission of building plans fully functional. 

Sources said in the recent direction, the Ministry of Urban Development has asked the administration to switch over to the new system by March 31, 2019, completely. While the administration officially launched the online building plan facility in February 2018, the Estate Office is yet to make the new system fully functional.

The system is still facing many glitches. It has started only on paper as the architects and residents still have to submit many forms manually.

Making the online approval of the building plan is one of the mandatory provisions under the AMRUT schemes. The Government of India is providing more than Rs 300 crore under the scheme. 

The ministry has been emphasising the new system to ensure transparency and to check corruption. The system will also have the provision for applicants to deposit fees online. This will also cut down human interface and ensure transparency in the system. 

Hundreds of people visit the building branch to get their plans approved. Punjab and Haryana have already started the online-approval system.