Obtaining building permissions may become simpler for several applicants starting from April, when the TS-bPASS (Telangana State Building Permission Approval & Self Certification System) is most likely to completely replace the existing system in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
While permissions are already being issued under TS-bPASS for certain structures, the system is still in transitioning stage, say officials.
Users had been facing several issues under the existing Development Permission Management System (DPMS) as they are forced to make rounds of different offices, where clearances are struck.
Self-certification
TS-bPASS will facilitate self-certification by the applicants for structures built on 500 square meters (600 square yards) or less, without having to submit building plan. This limit will cover all independent houses.
“We will merely mention the required setbacks in the permission proceedings, which the applicant has to adhere to. Deviations, if any, will be dealt with through separate mechanism,” informed a senior official from the Town Planning wing of the municipal corporation
If the structure is proposed in prohibited or disputed land, or is marked for road development as per Master Plan, the application will be automatically rejected, as the system is linked with the government database of land titles. Users will be sensitised about the extents demarcated for Master Plan roads, and how much clearance to be left to proceed with the structure, officials said.
As of now, permissions are being issued by GHMC through both DPMS and TS-bPASS, with applications for structures within plots more than 500 square meters in extent being processed solely through DPMS.
It is aimed to transition completely to TS-bPASS by March 31, after which building permissions on plots over 500 square meters too will be issued only through the new system. Users will have the facility to run their building plan automatically through the system without human intervention.
So far, over 720 applications have been processed and approved through TS-bPASS, and close to 150 have been rejected, owing to issues pertaining to land.
Enforcement teams as per the TS-bPASS guidelines to keep a check on deviations are yet to be formed. Separate orders need to be issued by the government for the same, officials say.