2 days ago
Andhra Pradesh launches 72-hour fast-track clearance for high-rise building permissions
In a bid to accelerate urban development and strengthen its 'ease of doing business' credentials, the Andhra Pradesh government has rolled out a 72-hour clearance policy for high-rise building permissions.
The new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), unveiled by Principal Secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar, on Friday (August 08), mandates that all eligible high-rise building proposals, defined as structures with 12 or more floors, including Transferable Development Rights (TDR) floors, be approved within a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA) of three days.
The initiative, framed to eliminate bureaucratic delays, is aimed at attracting greater investment and ensuring rapid, transparent clearances, he added. It follows a review of past shortcomings in approval mechanisms, with the Director of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) tasked to propose a more efficient process, which has now been approved by the government.
Under the SOP, a special cell has been set up at the DTCP office in Mangalagiri to exclusively handle high-rise applications. Once a proposal is submitted, an automated intimation will be sent to the DTCP, the relevant commissioner or vice-chairperson, and the Town Planning Section head in the concerned urban local body (ULB) or development authority.
The site inspection process is strictly time-bound, within 36 hours, the commissioner and Town Planning Section head must visit the site, fill in the prescribed inspection proforma with photographs, and upload it to the A.P. Development Permission Management System (APDPMS) portal. Any delay automatically escalates the matter to the DTCP for action. The site report, including details of any court cases, must also be furnished within the same 36-hour window.
Following this, a scrutiny committee meeting will be held at the DTCP office to finalise the approval within the overall 72-hour period. The entire workflow is being digitally integrated into the APDPMS portal for seamless tracking and accountability.
All commissioners, including those of APCRDA, VMRDA, other urban development authorities, municipal corporations, municipalities, and nagar panchayats, have been instructed to strictly comply with the new procedure.
