Town planning staff should stop irregularities

The Urban Development Department says that with the new construction permission system “Build Now,” people will be able to obtain building permits from the comfort of their homes, along with several other benefits. When the BRS government introduced TS-BPASS in the past, similar claims were made. They even publicized that if the permits were not granted within 21 days, fines would be imposed on the concerned officials. However, what actually happened? It wasn’t 21 days, but even after more than two months and 10 days, permits were not granted. That’s why, no matter how many apps are introduced, there will be no benefit unless the mindset of the GHMC, HMDA officials, and staff changes. People say that the truth is, unless there is a bribe, the town planning staff will not easily grant permits. However, the Urban Development Department continues to praise the “Build Now” system, claiming it will be very useful. So, how exactly will the new technology work?

The GHMC says that by using the “Build Now” website on a mobile phone, applicants can apply, and the officials will review it and grant permission within a maximum of 15 days. This will work with Artificial Intelligence. If the house site area is up to 75 square yards, the permit will be granted as soon as the application is submitted. The state government will make arrangements to launch this new software in the GHMC jurisdiction starting from March 10.

•  The drawings prepared by architects for building construction are the standard. In the current system, it takes several weeks to review the drawings. Officials say that this time will be reduced to just minutes.
•  GHMC, HUDA, DTC, other local bodies, urban development agencies, fire department, irrigation department, revenue, Musi River Development Authority, and other departments are all integrated with “Build Now.”
• Whenever someone applies, they can check if all the relevant details have been fully entered, which officer the file is pending with, and other details through the application.
• Even an ordinary person can find information on the website about how many floors they can build on their plot, the setback requirements, and the application process. 3D house models can also be viewed according to the drawing. Everything seems fine, but for the permits to be quickly granted, officials and staff need to work efficiently. What if they reject an application, saying there’s a shortfall in the application or a document hasn’t been submitted? No matter how many new technologies the Urban Development Department introduces, people believe that until the work culture of the department’s officials and staff changes, permits will not be granted quickly.