The town and country planning department (DTCP) has decided to allow empanelled architects to issue occupancy certificates (OCs) for plotted houses in licenced colonies.
The move is aimed at expediting the process of obtaining an OC and making it simpler for the house owner. But it has also sparked concerns about architects being manipulated into granting the papers and violations like illegal extensions going undetected.
Officials assured that there would be random checks of the building plans and actual constructions and the architect concerned would be held accountable and even blacklisted in case of violations. But the checks would be limited to only 10% of the sites at any given time.
The current process of securing an OC is quite exhaustive and time-consuming. Architects are now required to submit applications for the buildings they have planned to the DTCP. After the documents are scrutinised at multiple levels, a team visits the house and inspects if the construction has been done in keeping with the Haryana Building Code, 2017. It is only after the DTCP team gives its approval, the OC is granted. The process can run into several weeks and even months.
TL Satyaprakash, the director-general of DTCP, said the move to allow architects to grant OCs would expedite the entire process. “It has been decided that the competent authority for issuance of occupation certificate as per Haryana Building Code 2017 under self-certification policy will be architect,” the order, signed by him, read.
It also laid down the standard procedure that should be followed by the architects before granting the certificate. “First, the owner of a building will have to submit a request to the architect as defined under HBC 2017. The architect should keep a record of all such applications. Secondly, the architect will have to inform the department in writing that he has not been issued any showcause notice or blacklisted by any of the government agencies.”
According to the order, the architects will have to thoroughly examine all the documents, such as the approved building plan, the deviations marked on it, photos of the front and rear area, internal finishing and structural ability certificate. The architect can then grant the OC under the self-certification policy if the building is “complete in all respects”.
The architects will have eight days to grant the OC after receiving all the documents concerned. After issuing the OCs, they will have to submit copies of the certificate and all other records to the DTCP in three days.
Satyaprakash’s order agreed that there could be instances of architects violating their “professional ethics” to grant the certificates. “Therefore, the DTP (district town planner) in all districts will be liable to check 10% of the OCs received from architects.”
Since the architects will be held accountable if violations are found after the OCs have been granted, they may lose their licence and be blacklisted. “The department may also make recommendations to the registration authority for not registering any floor/building of such architects.”