Digital nod of building plans preventing corruption in GVMC

- The town planning department received 1,500 applications till July-end and except for few, most of the applications have been cleared
- Applicants to get SMS and email alerts on approval status

Visakhapatnam: The launch of building plans online approval system for general constructions, apartments, group housing and layout development approvals has prevented corruption to a large extent in the town planning department of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). The officials who lobbied to get prime posts on deputation are now thinking to go back to their parent department.

This online system provides transparency procedure in sanctioning plan approvals and if all the required documents are submitted, the builders get their approvals in days or sometimes in hours.

Under the convention system, the builders were submitting their applications through licensed surveyors and it was taking months and sometime years to get approval. Apart from the delay, each builder was paying Rs 10,000 per flat which means a builder having 20 flats had to shell out Rs 2 lakh. This apart, bribes need to be paid in GVMC and AP DISCOM.

“Now we don’t have to run around the town planning department to seek approvals. We get alerts on mobile phones and approval through net,” said a well-known builder, who claimed that he would be saving lakhs of rupees on bribes.

Another builder said the corruption was so high from top to bottom in the planning department that ACB officials in a lighter vein said they need to open a branch office in GVMC.

However, in spite of online system, a small lacuna has been left behind which would enable the officials to fleece the money. As per rules, a builder has to mortgage a flat or two depending on the size with the GVMC and after completion of the project, they need to obtain NOC from the town planning department to get back the mortgaged property. This is where the officials fleece money, said a representative of reputed construction company.

The town planning department received 1,500 applications till July-end and except for few, most of the applications have been cleared, said chief city planner B Venkataratnam.

He said online system is a beneficiary tool for the GVMC administration and Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA), which makes the process transparent and accurate.

“The system will send SMS and email alerts to applicants on approval status. There is little scope for corruption,” Venkataratnam said.

KMP Patnaik