TS-bPASS, a new benchmark
Single window reforms process facilitates easy permissions for construction activity
Hyderabad: Continuing with its progressive policies, the TRS government set a benchmark in building approval system in the country on Monday, when it launched the Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self Certification System (TS-bPASS), a single window reforms process that facilitates easy permissions for construction activity.
The TS-bPASS complements other reforms introduced in the Revenue Department such as Dharani, a one-stop portal for all matters pertaining to land transactions and management.
“Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has always believed that it is important to bring in new laws and reforms into the system that will save time and money for the exchequer and make that money useful for betterment of the people of the State,” Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao said, unveiling the TS-bPASS at a programme here.
Stating that registrations and mutation of properties in the past administrations always required one to pay bribe to get their work done, he said Dharani ensured that land transactions were transparent and corruption-free. “Telangana’s reforms will remain the benchmark for the rest of the country. Mission Bhagiratha for instance has been emulated by 11 States in the country. Rythu Bandhu has been appreciated by the Central government and is being closely studied.
Dharani has been another major move towards transparency,” the Minister said, adding that the government will be bringing in stringent laws under the soon-to-be introduced GHMC Act that will have specific provisions on encroachment of lakes and nalas.
The real estate sector was among the first to welcome the progressive policy, with R Chalapathi Rao, president, Telangana Real Estate Developers’ Association (TREDA), declaring that Telangana was the only State in the country to come out with a fast-track approval system that will give clearances in just a few minutes, “even faster than the RTGS.”
Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai), Hyderabad, president P Rama Krishna Rao, hailing TSbPASS said: “Time is of essence to the construction business and the State government has considered our request. This will certainly attract investments from builders across the country.”
Even as the realtors welcomed the move, Rama Rao, in his address, stuck a note of caution and appealed to real estate developers and industry leaders to keep real estate prices affordable. “Hyderabad has seen consistent growth in real estate and the city has been known for its best quality of living and affordable real estate. “Developers should ensure that we don’t lose the city’s USP of being an affordable place,” he said.
The Minister said TS-bPASS, with statutory backup, ensures transparency, corruption-free, time-bound building permission system. Though a beginning was made in 2015 in the form of Development Permission Management System (DPMS), it didn’t have a statutory backup. But TS-bPASS has all the statutory backing, he said.
Benefit the system brings
As per TS-bPASS, up to 75 sq yards, one can apply online to register their property. If one has to build a property in 75 sq yards-600 sq yards land, instant permissions will be issued on self-certification mode. Since the approvals are ratified documents, banks will honour them. For land over 600 sq yards, permissions will be given within 21 days.
If there are shortcomings in the application, the applicants will be informed within the first week of application, rather than holding it up to 21 days. The State in the past has also brought transferable development rights (TDR) and TDR banks by bringing all the municipal bodies. The goal is to bring several more citizen-centric laws and reforms even in future.
The Minister who handed over the permission letters for the first set of TS-bPASS applicants, said, “We will test the TS-bPASS system and explore new changes and reforms in the system. We will also reform the systems that the government has brought in the recent years, if necessary,” he added.
Rapid urbanisation
Rama Rao said, the world is seeing rapid urbanisation, and so is Telangana, which has seen 43 per cent urbanisation, which in next 5-7 years will see a lion’s share of population living in urban regions.
The State today has 1,12,000 sq kms area, of which GHMC covers 625 sq kms while ORR covers up to 2,000 sq kms and HMDA is spread over 7,000 sq kms. Within ORR, 40 per cent of the population lives, which shows the density in the city. Keeping in view this fast paced urbanisation, the Chief Minister has taken several decisions and measures to decentralise the administration and ensure the benefits reach the citizen.
The State which had 10 districts earlier has 33 districts today. Telangana which had 8,800 villages has 12,751 gram panchayats today. The State has seen an addition of about 140 mandals. Revenue divisions have gone up from 43 to 74 while municipalities have gone up from 68 to 141, as part of the State’s decentralisation process.
“Sircilla, the constituency that I represent, has also seen a sea change. District administration has become more accessible in the past few years. One doesn’t need to travel 40 kms to reach the district administration today. Officials are now accessible in just a 10-20 km range,” the Minister said.
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