Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Transparent spatial planning soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to strengthen decentralisation of powers to the local self-government institutions and ensure public participation in the land utilisation plans, the Town and Country Planning Department is getting ready to make its planning and development process transparent and accessible to the public.

Department sources told The Hindu that specific details of zoning regulations, master plans, district development plans and detailed town planning schemes in each region, including maps, will be posted on the department web site from February 28.

The web-GIS platform will be activated from February 28 to mark to the golden jubilee celebrations of the department. Initially 17 detailed town planning schemes will be posted on the system. The platform is expected to clear the apprehensions of the public about zoning regulations and master plans.

At present the public do not have a mechanism to find out the details of the changes in Kerala Municipal Building Rules and restrictions imposed in constructing residential and commercial buildings in cities and towns which have master plans. Majority of the people are still ignorant of the changes in the land use patterns, especially conversion of areas marked as green strips into commercial and residential zones in the State.

The new system is expected to put an end to such woes and provide an opportunity to the public to point out the anomalies in zoning norms and the enforcement of building rules. Builders as well as the public will be able to prepare layouts in conformation to the rules.

Once the land utilisation plan becomes transparent, the task of issuing layout approval and building permits will be passed on to the civic bodies. The authorities will have to issue the permits and layout clearances in a time-bound manner. Though preparation of urban, regional and city development plans is the main task of the Town and Country Planning Department, the planners are thoroughly pre-occupied with the enforcement of building rules and hardly get time for planning. Spatial planning has become a major casualty. By getting rid of the burden of enforcing the rules, department personnel will be able to dedicate their time and effort for streamlining the development process.

Moreover, the enforcement powers will be passed on to the civic bodies in tune with the spirit of the decentralisation of powers. This is also expected to put an end to the corruption and nepotism in issuing building permits and approving layouts, the sources said.

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