Building plan approval quickened

Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood inaugurated a “one-window” programme on Thursday, to quicken the approval of building plans.

The new procedure will allow approval of plans of residential buildings in six days and commercial buildings in a month after the submission and approval of applications at a special desk. The town planning deputy director will then send a plot ownership verification request to the land development director (LDD) or estate management director (EMD) and a title proforma and a requisition and possession letter would be obtained from them. This will take two days, and the LDD or the EMD and the plans receipt committee staff would be held responsible in case of delay.

A demand note of scrutiny fee will be delivered to the desk on the third day. The applicant will pay the fee and submit the bank receipt to the plans receipt committee and add a Form-C.

The building application will then be handed over to the buildings inspector for site inspection and on the next day, the scrutiny/sanctioning committee (town planning director, deputy director, assistant director and administration deputy director) will examine the proposal and deliver an approval at the desk the day after. The consulting architect and the applicant will be told over telephone to receive the approval.

The nazim said that if the building was in a private housing scheme or an LDA controlled area, the draftsmen in the plans receipt committee would seek a report from the metropolitan planning section. The report, from the revenue staff or patwari and the draftsman, will be compiled in two days, with the help of the metropolitan planning director. The receipt committee draftsman and the metropolitan planning director and deputy director will be answerable for any delays.

The district nazim was told that a separate room had been allocated to the desk after consultation with the administration director. The LDA chairman said a package of incentives had been approved for the staff involved, because a large number of applications would be received every day. Data shows an average of 10 applications a day.

It was decided that Rs 200 per plan would be given to each member of the plan receipt committee if the number of applications per day would exceed five. Staff involved in scrutiny and approval will be given Rs 100 each per plan.

Source: Daily Times