Uttar Pradesh Housing Department Constitutes Committee for Second Phase of Deregulation Exercise
The Uttar Pradesh housing department has taken a significant step towards enhancing efficiency in the real estate sector by forming a dedicated committee on Tuesday. This move comes as part of the state government's ongoing efforts to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and foster a more business-friendly environment.
Committee Composition and Leadership
A 6-member committee has been established, with the housing secretary leading the initiative. The committee includes vice-chairmen from three major cities: Lucknow, Varanasi, and Ghaziabad. Additionally, the chief town planner of the state and the director of Awas Bandhu will serve as members, ensuring comprehensive expertise in urban planning and housing development.
Background and Objectives
This development follows Uttar Pradesh's achievement of the top position in the country for its performance during the first phase of the deregulation exercise. Building on this success, the state government has directed key departments to identify and address bottlenecks that cause delays in processing applications from individuals and private entities.
An officer involved in the process explained, "We will conduct a thorough examination of all our services and activities to create a better working ecosystem for all stakeholders. While promoting private projects that attract investments remains a priority, we will also scrutinize the systematic framework to enhance offerings for common residents, companies, investors, working professionals like architects, advocates, and accountants, social organizations, institutions, students, and collaborative government agencies. The primary goal is to streamline the turnaround time for disposing of applications."
Timeline and Implementation
Principal Secretary of the housing department, P Guruprasad, announced that the committee has been given a one-month deadline to prepare an outline and preliminary proposal. Following this, further actions will be initiated to implement the recommendations effectively.
Industry Perspectives and Suggestions
A private real estate developer shared insights on potential improvements, stating, "Instead of conducting staggered inspections for large-scale projects, it would be ideal to form a dedicated team of nodal officials across various authorities responsible for granting approvals and clearances. This team could carry out joint inspections simultaneously. Experts could then flag objections within 48-72 hours, after which the private player would be responsible for providing necessary documents or permissions. Currently, obtaining clearances from multiple departments consumes excessive time."
This feedback highlights the industry's desire for more coordinated and efficient approval processes, which the new committee aims to address in its deregulation efforts.
