If we look at current technology innovation across industries, the major emphasis lies on process efficiency and simplicity. A large chunk of technology adoption has been implemented in areas that are mainly process-driven. Be it a government organisation or a private enterprise, the idea is to make things simpler and easier. With the emergence of the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) concept, government organisations are putting in more effort to reduce the number of existing processes and execution time and making processes more accountable and transparent.
I have always believed that any innovation has to be collective and collaborative. And I think this is the right time for the construction industry to adopt technology to innovate the way they run their business.
As we are struggling with the current situation, concepts like the online building plan approval system are going to be crucial from the overall recovery viewpoint. We also have to remember that it is not only about comfort and convenience. Now, going a step ahead, let’s understand how the online building permitting system can make things simpler for the parties associated with the construction sector.
In terms of the use of technology, we need to make it cohesive and collective that includes all the associated parties. Despite the availability of digital plans or models of buildings, most builders and developers are still facing time delays in plan approvals. These delays further contribute to loss of time and money.
In such a scenario, we need to think of concepts like a single-window clearance system (SWCS). The SWCS brings much-needed collaboration and collectiveness among all the parties involved in construction permits. While bringing them on a single platform, it enables a smooth and efficient mechanism for obtaining NOCs from different agencies. In such a pandemic situation, the government agencies should encourage and expedite the adoption of e-governance for the construction sector. For example, government authorities should implement and promote the system for issuing online construction permits.
Economically, it will:
So, we have to see the larger picture of the benefits and advantages the SWCS for online building plan approval brings to the table. And as a technology solution provider, SoftTech will continue to contribute its share to this overall growth process.
From the construction industry’s perspective, the building plan process is one such user-centric process that needs to be well taken care of. Considering the criticality of this process, the need is to make it more convenient, fast and transparent.
With the government push, the online building plan approval process and issuing of construction permits will pave the way for a better and smart tomorrow. As we are slowly and steadily moving towards Digital India, such implementations will help boost user confidence in government initiatives.
About the author: Vijay Gupta, Founder & CEO, SoftTech Engineers, is an alumnus of IIT Mumbai and is a first-generation entrepreneur. He has worked with the CAD/CAM divisions of Crompton Greaves and Godrej & Boyce for six years at the start of his career, and has over 29 years of experience in the development of complex CAD/CAE/project management software.