Software ‘snag’ brings online NOC allotment process to a halt, again

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 1

The process for online allotment of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for plots/properties came to a halt after the Google Earth Pro software used for verifying the images of properties developed a snag.

Applicants say this is not for the first time that the much celebrated online portal for issuing NOCs has turned into a source of harassment and inconvenience for them.

After making repeated rounds of the office of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), harried applicants have now been told that a snag in the Google Earth Pro software, from where historical images were taken to issue NOCs, the entire process for issuing NOCs had been put off for the time being.

Thousands of applications for NOCs are held up at different stages in GLADA, MC offices and Revenue Department offices.

The number of pending applications submitted online after the cut-off date of regularisation policy had gone up to nearly 700, while 6,000 old applications were already awaiting disposal.

With an update in the Google Earth Pro software, the historical imagery of colonies established before 2018 is not available, resulting in the suspension of the entire process to issue NOCs.

Ajoy Kumar Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, told The Tribune that Google had now reverted to its previous version of the software and historical images of the colonies were now available online. However, the ground reality was contrary to this.

“Even otherwise, explicit directions have been issued to all regional area development authorities to verify the time period of establishment of colonies from sources other than Google images,” Sinha added. “Sources like office records, sale and purchase documents, sale deeds or the purpose of issuing NOCs to developers and property owners can be used to issue sale deeds of their respective properties registered,” he said.

The harassed applicants, however, claimed that the issue of snail-paced allotment of NOCs was back to square one. This was also confirmed by several GLADA employees and officials, including the Assistant Town Planner.

6,700 applications pending

The number of pending applications submitted online before Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) after the cut-off date of regularisation policy had gone up to nearly 700, while 6,000 old applications were already awaiting disposal.

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