Self-certification has 'eased' OC, building plan approvals in Gurugram

The self-certification scheme introduced by department of town and country planning (DTCP) at the beginning of 2018 has reduced waiting time for house owners seeking occupation certificates, and speeded up the process of getting building permits, with permissions now being granted in almost one-fourth the time according to many. So far, around 552 people have applied for self-certified occupation certificates (OC) at the office of the district town planner (DTP) between January 1 and June 30 this year. Of these, 466 have been given the certificates, while 51 were conveyed observations and 35 applications are being processed. The department has also received 1,021 applications for self-certification of building plans, with officials having approved 907 of these, while another 114 have been conveyed observations. Under the scheme, an architect submits details of approved building plan, detailed site area, violations at site, construction status, norms as per Haryana Building Code, etc. Based on this input, a site visit is scheduled. Earlier, site visits were detailed and included examination of files by DTP, which were then forwarded to the senior town planner. Thereafter, a letter of demand notice was sent to the applicant, its reply received, and only then was the OC granted.