Now building plans an online affair

New Delhi, Aug 12: Delhiites will be able to file building plans and get them approved online in another three months, rendering the system transparent and corruption-free.

Mayor of Delhi Arti Mehra while speaking on the subject of 'Delhi Vision 2010' said, ''Online approval of the building plans and similar steps that are being contemplated by the MCD will attack the root of the malaise, eliminate Inspector Raj and drudgery faced by the citizens for complying with various rules and regulations of the MCD.'' Online filing of property tax introduced by the MCD, designed and executed by the Tata Consultancy Services was a great success. More than 1.5 lakh assesses preferred to file the tax returns online and but still a few want to file the taxes manually, the Mayor said.

Multi-agency involvement in the administration of Delhi has had its own problems since the accountability could not be traced to a single agency, she added.

''Ordinary people get confused in the midst of several agencies involved in the development works. A glaring example is the implementation of zonal plans, which are under the purview of the Centre, while local area plans are with the MCD,'' she said.

Ms Mehra assured that the MCD would import the best technology for solid waste management and make Delhi a 'zero waste' region.

''Plans are afoot to crush the wastes within hours of its collection and convert it into bricks that can be used for construction purposes,'' Ms Mehra said, adding that plans have also been drawn up to improve the civic facilities in Okhla Industrial area.

Underscoring the need for genuine public-private partnership in toning up the civic facilities, she said the experience in the past in this regard was not encouraging.

''Land was alloted to the private sector for building schools and hospitals at Re one. But often, such institutions were found violating the agreement and running institutions on commercial lines and not charitable purpose,'' Ms Mehra said.

UNI