Individuals and developers planning housing projects may no longer have to run from pillar to post of multiple departments seeking no objection certificates (NoC) as the government would fix deadlines for each agency for issuing the certificate.
The initiative would be part of ensuing a single-window clearance system which will be the lone online platform to apply for planning permissions across the state. Presently, there is no deadline for issuing NoCs in the manual process.
Housing and urban development department sources said a list of departments that would issue NOCs would be displayed after a user logs onto the portal to file their applications for planning permission.
“They need to just click and apply for NoCs to the respective departments. Then, the application would be sent to departments concerned for processing. If there is no response within a specific period, the application would be considered deemed-to-be approved,” a senior housing and urban development official told TOI.
But, deadlines for each department have not been fixed yet, the official added. “The single-window clearance portal is likely to be launched in another six months after testing by Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency,” the official said.
Applicants are required to collect NoCs from five to ten departments and agencies including traffic, fire and rescue services, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, public works department, Airports Authority of India and the ministry of defence depending upon the location of the construction site. Securing NoCs is a cumbersome process as there is no deadline for issuing NOCs at present. Representatives in the construction sector have been complaining about delays in obtaining the key document, which adversely impact construction work.
Retired professor of urban engineering at Anna University K P Subramanian said s deemed-to-be NoC comes with a rider. “In the event of violations taking place (after obtaining NoC), the concerned department or agency can take penal action against the applicant,” he added.
Meanwhile, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai) has sought that building permits issued by the local bodies must also come under the purview of single window clearance system. “It is the need of the hour to reduce the time in commencing constructions without any delay,” the association’s Tamil Nadu chairman S Sridharan said.
