'Building Plan Sanctioning' goes online in SDMC, MSMEs not able to benefit from it so far

New Delhi, May 4 (KNN) It has been three months since the application for sanction of the building plan was made online.  The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), that is responsible for the implementation of the project, last month claimed it to be successful, the MSMEs in the region speak otherwise.

A senior official from SDMC in an interview last month said that  with the application procedure going  online, it has helped reduce the time taken to get the clearance. Earlier, the applicant had to go from office to office for the sanction, now everything is a click away.

However, talking to KNN, Udesh Babal President of the Okhla Factory Owners Association revealed that though the portal was launched with an intention to facilitate the services, it has not been able to do so, the main reason for this being lack of awareness.

“The MSMEs that operate in the region are not very computer savvy and the online application procedure is still difficult, therefore they end up approaching offices and not much has changed,” said the President.

He further suggested the need for a massive computer literacy program to be initiated to ensure success of the project. While the Official claims that as of now almost 500 building applications have been sanctioned online, Babal responded to this with a surprise.

“I am not very sure about the number, but the situation on the ground calls for training and awareness programs that could help achieve such numbers, also the online application portal should be made simpler and user friendly,” the President further said. (KNN/ DA)