CHENNAI: Planning authorities in Tamil Nadu will soon authorise registered engineers as third parties to issue building plan approvals, a move aimed at speeding up the approval process and reducing the need for applicants to approach government offices.
The move is based on an announcement in the ongoing state assembly session by Minister B Rajkumar, who said that third-party certification for residential, commercial and industrial buildings will reduce the time taken for getting building plan approvals.
A housing and urban development department official said that the state has close to 2,000 registered engineers, and a government order will be issued to authorise them to provide building permissions. Presently, building plan permissions for such buildings are being issued by concerned local bodies and planning authorities depending on the size and extent of the buildings.
Under the proposed system, authorised professionals will certify whether buildings comply with prescribed development and building regulations. For residential buildings, third-party certification is proposed for projects with an FSI area of up to 8,070 sq ft (750 sq m).
Building approvals will be issued based on the certificate issued by the authorised third party. The facility will also be extended to commercial buildings with an FSI area of up to 3,230 sq ft (300 sq m). For industries, third-party certification is proposed for factory buildings with a built-up area of up to 26,900 sq ft (2,500 sq m) located in the SIDCO, SIPCOT, ELCOT and other approved industrial estates.
“However, the concerned planning authorities will conduct random inspections at the building sites to prevent the misuse of the new system,” the official added. The move comes alongside an expansion of TN’s existing self-certification scheme for residential buildings. The latest announcement proposes to increase the permissible area for instant approval through self-certification from the existing 3,500 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft, covering buildings up to G+2 and Stilt+3.
According to the department data, more than two lakh beneficiaries have availed the self-certification scheme. S Ramaprabhu of Builders’ Association of India said that even though clear and detailed information regarding Third-Party Approval has not yet been officially announced by the Government, the initiative is certainly a welcome and positive step, and the builders are looking forward to its implementation.
