E-Paper
Bengal’s new e-service to clear building plans, mutation, trade licence in 15 days
An application will be deemed cleared if not processed in 15 days. Clearing building plans sometimes takes time since it involves physical verification of property. However, civic bodies will be liable to pay penalty under the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act if there is excessive delay.
West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra and urban development minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Monday launched an extensive e-governance programme under which building plans and applications for mutation of property and trade licence will be processed and cleared online in 15 days in all urban areas.
Only the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, where these services are already being offered, will be out of the new system, Mitra said at a virtual press conference. “These two urban areas have some exclusive by-laws as well,” he added.
Urban local bodies (ULB) of all categories will offer the three services. Applicants will be able to register their complaints online if there is delay or any irregularity. The government will send its feedback through text messages and e-mails. Fees for the services will also be calculated online. “Nobody has to visit government offices anymore,” said Mitra.
“The service for building plans will benefit around 15 million people in 60 ULBs of which five are corporations and 55 are A, B and C category civic bodies. The service for mutation will benefit people in 123 ULBs while 20 million people will get trade licence in all ULBs. We will include the 39 ULBs of D and E category in the next three months,” said Mitra.
“Transparency is a salient aspect of the service. I have talked to finance ministers from several states. None of them offer these services on such a large scale,” said Mitra
In the single-window system, which has been given the catch line, ‘You click, we serve,’ applicants will have to provide only proof of identity and ownership of property. Earlier, they had to physically submit multiple documents, said state chief secretary H K Dwivedi.
“An application will be deemed cleared if not processed in 15 days. Clearing building plans sometimes takes time since it involves physical verification of property. However, civic bodies will be liable to pay penalty under the West Bengal Right to Public Services Act if there is excessive delay,” said Bhattacharya.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has set an example in e-governance. Government offices, engineers and architects have undergone extensive training over the last few months. The fire services department, the power department, the National Monuments Authority and the Union civil aviation ministry, whose clearances are required for building plans, are integrated in the system. We have a toll-free helpline and an online helpdesk as well,” said Bhattacharya.
“Earlier, people had to wait for months although, on paper, these jobs were supposed to be done in 30 days. We now have one centralized system for all civic bodies. The moment an entry is made, it will be checked automatically,” Dwivedi added.
