Pune commissioner decentralises building permissions to fast-track approvals

Naval Kishore Ram, the Pune Municipal Corporation commissioner, issued orders to decentralise approval powers within the building permission department. The new system distributes approvals among engineering ranks based on project size: proposals below 2,000 square metres will be approved at the deputy engineer level; projects between 2,000 and 10,000 square metres require approval from the executive engineer; and proposals exceeding 10,000 square metres or those needing environmental clearance now or in the future require the approval of the superintending engineer. After approvals are granted, related correspondence will be issued in the prescribed format under the signatures of the junior engineer and deputy engineer. The move aims to reduce delays and improve accountability by avoiding excessive concentration of authority at lower levels, and aligns authority with project scale and sensitivity.

A directive issued in 2010 during the tenure of the then municipal commissioner effectively made deputy engineers in the building permission department the final approving authority for most building permissions.