To reduce the anomalies and corruption in the Building Branch of UT Estate Office, the Administration, in February, had framed a ‘self-certification’ scheme.

After five months, however, the scheme is yet to see the light of the day.

The scheme, initially introduced in 2005, had been unable to find any takers as the private architects, who had a major role to play, did not accept certain provisions of the scheme.

Interestingly, only one case has been submitted and cleared under the scheme since its inception.

In February, however, the Estate Office and the Association of Architects held a series of meetings, where certain amendments were suggested to make the scheme more realistic. It was also noted that the scope of the scheme be widened from residential to commercial properties.

The suggestions, however, are still awaiting the Finance department nod. “The matter is pending with the Finance department. They have to take a final call,” UT Estate Officer R K Rao said.

“We got complaints like officials of the Building Branch are not clearing files and building plans or are creating unnecessary hindrances. It was because of these factors that the scheme was amended,” a senior official at the UT Estate Office said.

Unlike the existing pattern, where a person who intends to erect/re-erect a residential building, submits the plan to the Estate Office, the new pattern proposed allows the applicant to submit the documents, fee, etc to a private architect, who would check the plan and submit it to the authority. The propsed pattern also applies on commercial buildings, which are excluded from current pattern.

... contd.