The Tamil Nadu government has launched a single-window system to facilitate the sanction of building permits, an initiative aimed at ensuring transparency and expediting the completion of small residential projects in the state. This new system allows individuals to obtain building permits instantly for residential buildings with ground floor or ground plus one floor, plot size up to 2,500 sqft, and built-up area up to 3,500 sqft. The public can apply for the permit through the official website by uploading necessary documents such as plot information, ownership details, abutting road width, built-up area, and building height.
The building should not be more than seven meters high and must be constructed at a distance of 1.5 meters from the road. According to K. J. Ramprasath, assistant director at the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, “The self-certification scheme is an innovative initiative aimed at reducing the time taken for approval, increasing transparency, and sensitising citizens to comply with the prevailing building bylaws.” Once the applicant certifies the authenticity of the information furnished, the software will automatically calculate the associated charges to be paid by the applicant.
The applicant can download the building permit and drawings instantly along with the QR code once the fees are paid. This move is expected to ease the burden of the long wait to get building permits for the middle class and economically weaker sections in the state. An official at the Tamil Nadu Housing & Urban Development Department noted that the government had been receiving many complaints from the public regarding the delay in sanctioning building permits in the state, and many had also been facing harassment from officials in the process.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the portal at an event at the state secretariat in the presence of chief secretary Shiv Das Meena, minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department P.K. Sekar Babu, and Housing and Urban Development minister S Muthusamy. At the event, the chief minister also handed over building permission to 10 beneficiaries in the state. The official launch comes five months after the stateโs finance minister, Thangam Thennarasu, announced the initiative during the state budget in February 2024.
Image Courtesy:ย The Print
