Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is trying to shorten to a fortnight the time taken to approve building plans of large projects, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Wednesday.
Hakim said he had asked the municipal commissioner to find out ways and make necessary changes so that the KMC could approve a building plan within 15 days of receiving an application.
If there is some issue for which the plan cannot be approved, the reason will be conveyed to the applicant within 15 days.
The KMC now takes between three and six months to approve plans for large projects, said a realtor. Another developer said the 15-day period was an ambitious target but builders would benefit immensely if the KMC could achieve it.
“We are trying to approve building plans within 15 days of receiving the application. I have instructed the municipal commissioner to take necessary actions to bring down the time to a fortnight,” the mayor said, while speaking at a programme organised by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai), Bengal, to felicitate him.
The KMC has already introduced a single-window system for building plan approval. Applicants have to only submit the proposed plan, while the civic body will take clearances from all departments concerned before approving it.
Earlier, applicants had to visit various departments to obtain no-objection certificates before submitting the building plan for approval.
Nandu Belani, president of Credai Bengal, said the introduction of the single-window system had already reduced the waiting period for building plan approval.
Large projects require clearances from multiple departments. Projects covering more than 500sq m require a clearance from the land and land revenue department, apart from multiple civic departments.
Hakim, also municipal affairs and urban development minister, said he would try to expedite the clearance from the land department.
Projects encompassing more 20,000 sq m require clearance from the state pollution control board, but this has to be taken after the KMC approves the building plan.
Any building that has six or more storeys requires an NOC from the fire department.