Mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday asked officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to take measures to popularise a decision of the civic body that allows owners of plots up to 500 square metres to start construction without waiting for a formal building permit from the KMC.
Construction can begin on a plot up to 500sqm — roughly 7.5 cottah — without waiting for the formal building permit, said KMC officials. The building cannot be taller than 12.5 metres or four-storeys (G+III).
Hakim received a call from a Kolkatan during the weekly phone-in programme Talk to Mayor on Saturday, where the caller thanked the mayor for his intervention.
The caller owns a small piece of land but was unable to start construction because obtaining the building permit was taking time.
During an earlier call, Hakim had told the same caller that the KMC now allows owners of small plots to start construction without waiting for a formal building permit.
The plot owner will need to submit a proposed building plan and then can start construction. The KMC will conduct an inspection once the construction of the plinth is complete.
If KMC engineers find that the house is being built as per KMC Building Rules, the civic body will issue the building permit.
On Friday, Hakim asked the chief engineer of the KMC’s building department to popularise the facility.
“Please hold a workshop with the LBS (licensed building surveyors). Many of them are still unaware of this facility. They should know. Train them. Publish a booklet and distribute it among them,” said Hakim.
Licensed building surveyors are engineers empanelled with the KMC who prepare plans and oversee the construction buildings up to 15.5m (G+IV) in height. A taller building can be built under the supervision of an architect.
“Publish the booklet on the KMC’s website so people get to know about the facility,” Hakim said.
Officials said the objective behind allowing the construction to begin was to ensure no one had to wait for long to start construction. This was one of several steps taken by the KMC to make construction of buildings easier in the city as part of the ease of doing business scheme.
KMC sources said initially, the facility was extended to plots up to 200sqm (approximately 3 cottahs). The limit was subsequently extended to plots measuring up to 500sqm.
KMC officials said licensed building surveyors are still wary of using the benefit since there is a fear of incurring loss in case of a future dispute. “There can be a difference in interpretation of the law between the licensed building surveyors and KMC officials. In such a scenario, portions of the plinth have to be pulled down. It would mean loss for the owner of the plot,” said the official.