Government plans e-filing facility for building permits

Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali on Thursday said that the government would introduce e-filing facility for applying for building permit.

 Replying to the demand for grants for Urban Development Department, he told the Assembly that strict stipulations and regulations in the  statutes had been causing hardships to the people.

 In view of the scarcity of land and demand for more housing facilities, the government is planing to revise the building rules according to the need of the time. Providing transparency, online system will be introduced. The offices of the Chief Town Planner and District Town Planners will be linked through computer networking. In the case of renewal of building permit, the maximum period will be limited to 9 years, he said.

 A Vigilance squad comprising 17 officials will be set up to find out unauthorised constructions. In raids conducted in various municipalities, it has been found that 80 per cent of the buildings were constructed  violating rules, he said.

 The Minister said that many of the municipalities had no master plans for the last 25 years. Now 32 municipalities and 5 corporations have prepared the master plans. In the second phase of the preparation of master plans, outsourcing of manpower will be considered in view of the shortage of staff, he said.

 He said that the government would review the existing tax structure of 50 per cent on commercial buildings being rented out in cities. He also informed the House that projects worth Rs 118 crore of the Rs 1,422-cr KSUD projects were implemented in the first year of the UDF Government.  The Minister said that the new waste treatment plant at Chalai here, to be set up on BOT basis, would be inaugurated on November 1 this year.

 He said the wastes treatment plant would produce 7.2 lakh units to 12 lakh units of power, providing a revenue of Rs 96 lakh each day. The new plant will treat 1000 to 1700 MT of wastes a day, the Minister said.

 While the KSEB is collecting Rs 16 per unit from traders, the power being produced in the plant would cost only Rs 8 per unit. Thermal plants are also planned in Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kottayam, he said.