HYDERABAD: Ushering in reforms in urban development, the Telangana State Legislative Assembly on Monday adopted the Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self Certification System (TS-bPASS) Bill, 2020.For the first time in the country, Telangana introduced the TS-bPASS which provides building permission approvals within 21 days, without any hassles. If the builder does not get permission within 21 days, an automatic approval will be generated on the following day. This will reduce the time and also end corruption while getting building permission approvals. 

The building permissions will now be given in three categories in the State. If the land is below 75 sq yards, no permission is required. If the land is between 75 sq yards and 600 sq yards, the applicants will get the permission instantly. If the land is above 600 sq yards, then the permission will be given within 21 days, provided all the supporting documents are in place.

Piloting the Bill, Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao said that TS-bPASS Bill is one of its kind in the country. Only some cities in other countries are implementing such Acts, he said. “It is a very progressive Act. What Telangana does today, India will do tomorrow,” Rama Rao said and pointed out that the State has been introducing such progressive Acts because of the leadership of ‘performer, reformer and transformer Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’.  

Stating that the TS-bPASS has been prepared on the lines of TS-iPASS, Rama Rao said that the TS-bPASS monitoring committees would be constituted in every district under the chairmanship of respective District Collectors. The MAUD Minister explained: “Poor people who want to construct a building in less than 75 sq yards require no permission. 

They can just register online. If a building is being constructed on a land between 75 sq yards and 600 sq yards, permission would be given instantly. If the owners provide wrong information in the self-certification, the buildings would be demolished without any prior notice.” 

KTR to seek Centre’s support for TS-bPASS

KTR also said that if building permission was not given within 21 days, an automatic approval with an official seal, signatures of town planning officer and Municipal Commissioner concerned would be sent to the applicant on the following day. He added that in the last three years, 95.15 per cent building permission applications pertained to construction in 600 sq yards, while the permissions sought for buildings constructed in 600 sq yards and above were just 4.85 per cent.   

Central permissions
The Minister said he would soon meet Union Minister for Urban Development and Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri with a request to ensure that early Central permissions were given under TS-bPASS. Meanwhile, Congress floor leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that for construction of high-rise buildings, permission from Airports Authority of India and other Central approvals are required. Even if TS-bPASS gives approval within 21 days, a delay in getting the Central government permissions would defeat the purpose of TS-bPASS, he said.Reacting to this, Rama Rao said he would soon meet Hardeep Singh Puri to seek Centre’s support for TS-bPASS.