Revised after 33 years: Less paperwork, wait period for Delhi builders in new by-laws

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Under the new system, real estate developers can make one single online application and payment to the development authority concerned, instead of approaching various agencies for clearances pertaining to environment, civil aviation, national monuments, railways or defence.

Naidu said that this is in keeping with the central government’s attempts at streamlining permissions for real estate projects. “We will introduce an integrated single window mechanism for online approval of building plans, almost eliminating human interface. We thought of setting an example with Delhi. Mumbai is also working on doing the same and this will be followed by other cities,” said Naidu.

In the case of residential plots of up to 105 sq m, the plot owner is no longer required to take building permission but can carry out construction, based merely on an undertaking informing the local body about the proposed construction. Such constructions are not even required to adhere to the mandatory green building norms for water conservation, solar energy use and energy efficiency applicable to all other buildings as per the new by-laws.

The new by-laws will be applicable to all three municipal corporations of Delhi, and areas that fall under the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi Development Authority, Cantonment Board of Delhi and the Airport Authority of India.

Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar said his ministry will soon ease the environment clearance process by allowing urban local bodies across the country to clear projects up to 1.5 lakh sq m built-up area. This has been a long-standing demand of the real estate sector, which was opposed to the screening by state level environment committee of building projects over 20,000 sq m.

“The environment conditions will be in-built in the building local bye-laws as in the case of Delhi and no separate environmental clearance will be required. This is in keeping with our principle of ease of doing responsible business. A draft notification to this effect will soon be introduced by the ministry,” said Javadekar.