The Times of India 08.11.2010
New construction rules from today
PANAJI: The town and country planning (TCP) department will start processing new construction files, including those pending for nearly two months, as per the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations 2010 which are being enforced from Monday.
"The files related to construction will be processed according to new regulations," senior town planner, TCP Morad Ahmed told TOI on Sunday.
While TCP had hit the pause button on processing of files after the regulations were notified in the official gazette on September 9, 2010, certain lacuna and ambiguity in the new rules are likely to persist for some time.
"A steering committee meeting will be called soon to discuss the matter," Ahmed said. All taluka offices of the TCP have been instructed to process new files as per the notified regulations.
Though TCP officials had claimed that the new regulations came into force from September 9, it notified the their implementation with effect from November 8, 2010 in the official gazette on Thursday, sources said.
"The regulations could not be effective from September 9 as under clause 8 of main Act, the date for implementation has to be notified, which we had pointed out earlier," Indian Institute of Architects national executive member Tulio de Souza said. TCP sources said it was an administrative decision.
However, various lacunae are yet to be rectified, de Souza said. "The people may be put to some hardship as there are issues that have not been set right," he added.
The Goa chapter of the architects body and others have raised various issues related to CRZ and conservation regulations, designation of notary architects, engineers and other professionals in the construction sector.
"It is a good idea to designate a notary architect or engineer, but it needs to be clarified whether the other NOCs required from TCP such as conversion under land revenue code would also be designated under the same notary appointees," de Souza said.
