In a significant move to streamline construction approvals and reduce bureaucratic delays, the Karnataka Government on Tuesday issued a notification exempting small-scale residential buildings in Bengaluru from the mandatory requirement of obtaining occupancy certificates.
A government order issued by the Urban Development Department on Tuesday provides relief to people constructing residential buildings on plots up to 1,200 square feet. Under the new directive, buildings with ground-plus-two floors or stilt-plus-three floors constructed on plots not exceeding 1,200 sqft within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) jurisdiction will no longer require occupancy certificates.
The exemption has been implemented under Section 241(7) of the GBA Act, which came into force earlier this year. This section specifically empowers the government to “notify the category of building which shall be exempted from obtaining an occupancy certificate.”
The decision emerged from high-level consultations involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Cabinet ministers, additional chief secretary of Urban Development Department, and officers from Urban Development, Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj departments.
These deliberations focused on creating “equal opportunities in all applicable laws regarding the functioning of local bodies across the state” for building possession certificates.
The move is expected to benefit Bengaluru’s construction sector, particularly small-scale residential projects. According to official data, approximately 4,000 buildings on sites smaller than 1,200 sqft receive plan approvals annually from BBMP zonal offices. Currently, building plan approvals are processed through the automated ‘Nambike Map’ system. Draft plans are provided on the same day upon application, and the final plan approval is granted within 15 days.
According to government officials, the traditional occupancy certificate process involved extensive site inspections and comparative verification between constructed buildings and approved plans, creating a substantial workload for local body officers and potential service delays. The exemption aligns with the government’s broader initiative to provide transparent and time-bound services to citizens, building on the success of the ‘Nambike Map’ system.
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By eliminating the occupancy certificate requirement for small buildings, the government aims to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks while maintaining regulatory oversight.
The Chief Commissioner of the GBA has been directed to design a robust administrative structure using available workforce and implement effective control and supervision of building and town planning rules.