CHENNAI: Tightening the building plan approval process to put an end to the frequent and widespread complaint of delays, the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner GS Sameeran directed officials to issue final approvals within 27 days from the day of application.
The circular has prescribed specific deadlines for each stage of the process, including field inspection, report submission, document scrutiny, and online clarification procedures.
Once an application is filed, the assistant executive engineer concerned must complete field inspections within seven days from the date of the application. Once the field visit is completed, the official will get two days from that day to file the inspection and five days to scrutinise the documents submitted along with the application.
In the following two days, the officials may seek clarifications or additional details and documents as part of the procedure. However, importantly, this should be done only through online mode, the circular insisted.
The applicant will then get seven days to provide explanations or submit additional documents that are sought. In the subsequent three days, the applicable fees can be paid digitally.
Once these works are over within these days, the building plan approval must be granted digitally the very next day. As per this schedule that Commissioner Sameeran has insisted upon, applicants will be able to get the final construction project approval within 27 days.
The circular also instructed that in the case of applications where all documents have been submitted correctly and completely, approval must be granted within 18 days. Similarly, for projects that have already received approval from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), the approval must be issued within seven days.