No permit required to build low-risk category buildings in Kerala

On Wednesday, the Kerala government announced that those who want to construct low-risk category buildings in Kerala could do it without visiting offices seeking approvals. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, said that his government has decided to take the people into confidence by allowing them to obtain a building permit through self-attestation for constructing foundations for the low-risk buildings. It covers residential buildings having a built-up area of fewer than 300 sq m, commercial buildings with a built-up area of 100 sq m, and hostels, religious buildings, and old age homes having a built-up area of lower than 200 sq m, he said. The site inspection will be conducted when the foundation of the building is completed. If there is a violation in the construction, it can be identified at the start. Empanelled licensees have to take measures for this, Vijayan said in a Facebook post. The Chief Minister said that if all laws are abided by, the local body secretary should give his permission for the project within five working days. As per the government, municipalities in Kerala manage around 80,000 building applications per year, while Gram Panchayats around 1,65,000 building applications. The government calculates that around 2,00,000 of these buildings can be constructed through the self-certification process. Image Source Also read: Kerala offers Rs 1,777 cr compensation to landowners for road stretch Also read: Madras HC orders new buildings to have disabled friendly amenities