BDA wants 31 documents for building plan approval

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has raised eyebrows by drawing up a checklist of 31 documents required for building plan approval, at a time when the government is looking to simplify the process for ease of doing business.

The checklist is part of the BDA’s action plan for ease of doing business. That 31 documents are required at the building plan sanction stage has baffled experts, who believe it runs counter to the reforms the state government has proposed. At present, the BDA requires 12 documents for building plan sanction.

“We are made to run around already because of which getting a building plan approved takes at least eight months,” said Sanjay Shenoy, joint managing director at Legacy Global Projects. “For a high-rise (15m and above), I need to first get clearances from the HAL, Airports Authority of India and the Indian Air Force. Then, I need to submit drawings to the Fire department, Bescom, BSNL, KSPCB, Ministry of Environment and Forests among others for a no-objection certificate. All of them have their own methods of evaluating the plan,” he rued. 

The draft Karnataka Municipal Corporations Building Bye-Laws 2017 requires civic bodies to put in place an online system with approvals from other agencies integrated in a common application form. It also proposes self-certification of building plans.

The BDA’s jurisdiction extends over 1,294 sqkm of the Bengaluru metropolitan area. The agency is authorized to sanction plans in its jurisdiction, whereas the BBMP sanctions plans in the 710 sqkm municipal limits.

The draft Karnataka Municipal Corporations Building Bye-Laws 2017 requires civic bodies to put in place an online system with approvals from other agencies integrated in a common application form.

It also proposes self-certification of building plans.

The BDA’s jurisdiction extends over 1,294 sq km of the metropolitan area. The agency is authorised to sanction plans in its jurisdiction, whereas the BBMP sanctions plans in the 710 sq km municipal limits.

“The requirement of 31 documents is a ploy to delay the approval process,” Credai Bengaluru vice president Suresh Hari said. “The process is already complicated and BDA should focus only on planning and zoning.”

The BDA action plan also states that building inspection reports will be submitted within 48 hours, while approving building plans and issuing occupancy certificates will be done within 30 days.

Additional Chief Secretary (urban development) Mahendra Jain said, “In a self-attested, discipline from within rather than regulation from outside system, documentation has to be rigorous. But we are open to suggestions on which documents can be dispensed with,” he said. Surendra Hiranandani, chairman, House of Hiranandani said, “A major impediment to real estate development remains the approval process.”