KOLKATA: KMC will try to expedite the single-window clearance process further to ensure real estate projects receive a go ahead within 15-30 days, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Wednesday. However, the other clearances like fire and environment need to be in place. Speaking to members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai), Hakim said he would try to expedite the process that currently takes three-six months.
The KMC had rolled out an ease-of-doing business blueprint in February 2020 but it was kept in abeyance due to the pandemic. The reforms were ushered in as part of a key index in World Bank’s assessment on “ease-of-doing-business”. Sections of KMC building rules too had been amended to offer land owners or realty developers freedom from obtaining NOCs from multiple state agencies after submitting documents with KMC buildings department.
KMC will now coordinate with state agencies and sanction plans within 30 working days from its application. “After the state agencies give their clearance, KMC will give its sanction within a fortnight to a month,” Hakim said. The single-window system helps developers, who want to build structures taller than 15.5m or with an area exceeding 500sqm. If the height of a building is less than 15.5m or area less than 550sqm, KMC will empower a licensed surveyor or architect to sanction the plan. “We look forward to KMC’s bid to improve the ease-of-doing-business module,” said Credai-Bengal president Nandu Belani. “This will make work easier in true sense,” said Credai West Bengal president Sushil Mohta.
