Thiruvananthapuram Corporation administration faces flak for delay in clearing building permit applications

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation administration is now facing flak for undue delay in clearing building permit applications.

Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) Parliamentary Party leader S.P.Deepak has flagged the backlog of building permit applications, which he said is a failure on the part of the Corporation administration, and has urged the State government to intervene immediately.

He said that the previous LDF government had implemented the KSMART application for local self-government institutions, designed to ensure that the public could get things done in a transparent and swift manner. The permit requirement was also waived for buildings up to 300 sq m. Despite this, there is serious negligence within the Corporation regarding the issuance of building construction permits, said Mr.Deepak, who raised suspicion that the KSMART application is being bypassed.

“While the KSMART system allows applications to be submitted and permits to be obtained without the need to visit the Corporation office, the public is currently forced to make repeated visits to the office. Agents remain active, and applications routed through them are processed more quickly. More than 500 files are currently pending with certain employees. Since the Corporation has designated separate officials for civil works and for building permits, the failure to process these files stems from a lack of timely intervention by the administration,” he said.

The situation is particularly critical in the zonal offices. Building construction permits are effectively being handled by a nexus of agents and officials, while the chairpersons of the relevant standing committees fail to visit these offices, Mr.Deepak alleged. Applications for permits for large buildings, including apartment complexes, must be reviewed up to the level of the Secretary.

“There is a suspicion that bargaining or negotiations might be taking place, leading to these delays. Withholding decisions on these applications, even though building regulations were relaxed during the tenure of the previous government, amounts to a denial of natural justice to the public,” he said.