Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister Ponguru Narayana announced significant reforms to streamline the building and layout approval process.
Addressing the media at the Secretariat on Monday, the minister revealed that the State government, led by the Chief Minister, has approved key town planning reforms proposed by a designated committee.
The minister stated that buildings up to 15 meters in height will no longer require prior permission. Starting December 31, building permissions will be issued through a single-window approval system to simplify the process and avoid delays.
To ensure faster approvals, the government plans to integrate the servers of various departments, including Revenue, Registration and Stamps, Fire, Mining, Railway, and Airport authorities, with the Municipal Administration server.
The reforms follow a detailed review of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department by the Chief Minister, during which recommendations for town planning were provided. Minister Narayana highlighted that seven committees had studied practices in ten states and submitted their findings, which were instrumental in shaping the reforms.
The minister explained that building permissions will be issued immediately after applications are uploaded online by licensed surveyors. He warned that surveyors engaging in illegal practices would face severe penalties, including license cancellation.
A task force has been appointed to oversee the online application process to prevent irregularities. Other key decisions include reducing road width requirements from 12 feet to 9 feet, allowing cellar construction for commercial buildings and residential structures exceeding 500 square meters, and new setback area guidelines for high-rise buildings, to be announced soon.
Minister Narayana also noted that the Chief Minister would review the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds issue within 15 days. Additionally, the government plans to introduce the P4 method, which will benefit 28 lakh members of the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA).
He concluded by stating that the government is committed to completing all AMRUT-2.0 projects within the next two years, furthering the State’s urban development goals.