Automated system to scrutinise building plans in Chennai

Chennai

Builders often blame the delay in project clearances for escalating costs of apartments. In an effort to fix this problem, the Chennai Metropolitan DevelopmentAuthority (CMDA) and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) — the two regulatory agencies — will introduce an automated system to scrutinise building plans. Computers will run through the soft copy of the plans and point out irregularities, if any.

“Such work, when done manually, take 3-5 days depending on the size and complexity of design of the proposedbuilding. But the auto DCR (developmentcontrol rules)system does it in a matter of 15 minutes,” said an official. To start with, plans of low-rise buildings in the CMDA will be scrutinised. High-rise buildings will be covered later. In the DTCP, multistoreyed buildings will be coveredformthestart.

The software was tested at the DTCP office a week ago. “The system can check site plan, elevation of the building, floor plan and even provision for sewagetreatment plants.We have suggested some correctionsin thesystem and areseeking feedback from builders. It should be ready for use very soon,” saidtheofficial.

To allow members of the public to access and submit applicationsfor project approvals, the regulatory agencies will open separate portals. In the system, the suitability of the site for the project cannot be checkedor property documents scrutinised.

However, it may be too early to give up manual verification totally, said the official. “For now, we plan to follow up the computer scrutiny with one roundof manual verification.”

Apart from the CMDA and DTCP headquarters, the automated verification system will be introduced in a phased manner in all regional offices of the DTCP,compositelocal planning authorities and newtown development authorities. In the first phase, places like Chengalpet, Mamallapuram, Hosur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tirupur,Vellore andTirunelveliwill be covered. “Apart from providing training to plannersin those areas, we also need to sensitise thecommunity on the automated route,” said another official.

While the CMDA receives about eight applications a month seeking approvals for high-rise buildings and a few dozen seeking approval for lowrise buildings, the DTCP headquarters receives 4-5 applications (for buildings exceeding 25,000sqft) a day.Fieldofficesof the DTCP handle almost five times the load of DTCP headquarters. Prakash Challa, a leading builder, said, “We welcome the move. The CMDA should cover multi-storeyed buildings attheearliest.”

Source: The Times of India, Chennai