Overview
- Pune’s municipal commissioner ordered a new approval system that replaces a 2010 setup that left most building permits with deputy engineers.
- Under the new thresholds, projects under 2,000 sq m stay with deputy engineers, those between 2,000 and 10,000 sq m go to executive engineers, and anything above 10,000 sq m or needing environmental clearance goes to the superintending engineer.
- PMC kept one procedural step in place as all post-approval letters will still be issued in the standard format under junior and deputy engineer signatures.
- Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the old model created bottlenecks and blurred responsibility at one level, and a senior official said the change adds layers of scrutiny that can check discretionary decisions.
- City officials and stakeholders expect faster decisions and closer checks on large builds, with a city engineer estimating 70% of proposals are under 2,000 sq m and developers saying quicker clearances could trim costs for homebuyers while activists see a curb on cozy ties between officials and builders.