The Chennai Corporation of Monday inaugurated modules on its website to take applications for road cuts and town planning building inspections. The modules are aimed at streamlining the application process and cut the time taken for the entire process to go through.
Sources in the Corporation told City Express that the modules would also help curb arm-twisting and bribe-taking from lower level officials. Presently, the applications for road cuts are taken on paper by the Corporation’s Works Department. They are then forwarded to concerned department depending on what sort of street the road cuts have been proposed for. The file is then forwarded after approval or rejection back to the Works Department, which in turn issues or withholds the final permissions. A vast majority of road cut permissions come from Metro Water, Electricity Board and telecom operators, with a small number coming from private citizens.The current practice usually take at least two weeks. The website module, which was inaugurated by Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy, is aimed at cutting the overall processing time to a week. Also, it would allow senior officials to keep a close tab on the clearance rate of these application, the civic body said.
The Mayor also inaugurated a website module to receive applications for town planning building inspections. This is being aimed at expediting inspections of building sites in the foundation stage, so that transgressions of planning permissions can be spotted and rectified early.
Officials have said the move would help overcome systemic delays, and also come as a massive blow to corrupt practices. “In a lot of cases, ground level officials arm-twist applicants and a few demand bribes to give the permission,” said an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Also, in some areas, politicians and those connected to politicians threaten the officials and take huge amounts just to give the permissions. These modules will help reduce such practices,” added the officials.
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