System turns 100% online

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If things do not get into shape with this,  it means the Corporation has lost the last chance to de-corrupt itself. Monday has seen a new beginning in the Town Planning Department with the online system for issuing building permits becoming cent-per cent online. Which means, no manual transfer of files with regard to building permits is now possible and every step the file takes could be tracked by the Corporation Secretary and the public, ensuring maximum transparency.  It is under an order issued by the Corporation Secretary on July 16 that new steps to make the issuing of building permits cent-per cent online have been taken. The decision has been taken after talks with KBDO (Kerala Building Designers’ Organisation) and LENSFED ( Licensed Engineers’ and Supervisors’ Federation) by the Mayor and team.  According to the new order, the officials concerned must enter remarks not on paper but on the computer software itself. In the case of applications being rejected, the reasons must be put down along with it. The details of the file would be published on the website. ‘’Without entering in the software, the files cannot be moved manually,’’ the order says. The pending files have to be cleared by August 20.  The application, once received by the overseer, must be entered into the software within seven days. If this is not done, the file automatically goes to the Assistant Engineer. The latter has to clear a file in three days; which if not done, it would automatically be transferred to the Assistant Executive Engineer. The Engineer must clear the file in two days. Those which are not cleared go to the Executive Engineer.  Once a file comes to the Executive Engineer, the order says that it should be cleared in a day. If the concerned official fails to take up the measure, the file would automatically be transferred to the Corporation Secretary. The Secretary and the Corporation Engineer should enter their remarks online in two days.  The order says that the agents must be barred from entering the DCR cell, where the online system has been installed. No designers without ID cards would be allowed entry into the cell and information of only those files concerning them would be provided to the designers.  In the case of those files asking for one-day permits, the charge officer of DPR cell C J Surej would be the official to clear it. At the time of submitting the designs, the designers must submit an Auto-CAD file and a pre-DCR drawing file, the absence of which would lead to the designs getting rejected.