Navjot Sidhu calls up meeting with architects for online building plan approval for Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: Before introducing the online building plans system the local bodies department has fixed up a meeting with members of the Indian Institute of Architects on Monday. The meeting has been called up for discussing the online building plan management system and building bylaws.
The officials however claimed that in the meeting criteria to select the architects will also be fixed because the building plans prepared by the qualified architects will be entertained by the department while giving approval.
Earlier the officials were claiming to introduce this system on September 4 or 5 but now it is expected to take off after September 10. The architects association has been called up for their suggestions and discussion over necessary changes will also take place in the meeting. The local bodies minister Navjot Sidhu has called up this meeting where MC Commissioners along with officials of building branch will also be there.
The state government has finalized agencies for this work which will be started on pilot basis in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala and Bathinda. First of all trial run will take place and after seeing the results of new system it will become permanent feature. Once this system will be adopted manual approval to the building plans will come to end and system will become more transparent.
The municipal town planner SS Bindra said that architects will play an important role in the online building plan system because they are the ones who will prepare the building plan for people so government will decide who will be a qualified architect for this system. He said that they have prepared entire plan for introducing the system and they are ready for the launch as well.
Meanwhile the chairman of Indian Institute of Architects Punjab Architects Sanjay Goel said that he has been invited for the meeting in which he will share his views about the system. He said that he will suggest that government should give more powers like self certification of maps, online approvals, smart cities initiatives etc to qualified architects registered with council of architecture, Government of India. He claimed that he hoped only qualified architects will get chance to be part of this project.