Kolkata: In a bid to further improve civic services, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has introduced two measures—setting a strict 15-day deadline for clearing online building plan applications and making it mandatory to display project timelines at work sites.
Approved by Mayor Firhad Hakim, the steps are aimed at reducing bureaucratic delays and giving citizens clearer information on how public works are progressing.
The first directive deals with delays in sanctioning building plans under the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) online system. While the platform has been functioning smoothly for most applicants, sources said that many proposals have remained pending for more than 15 days due to incomplete acceptances, rejections, or unresolved queries. To address this, KMC has made it mandatory for departments to act on every application—either by accepting, rejecting, or raising queries—within 15 days of submission.
If an officer fails to meet the deadline, they will now have to submit a written explanation for the delay. To monitor compliance, the Chief Manager (IT) has been instructed to prepare monthly reports on the status of pending applications.
These reports will be sent directly to the Mayor for review. Civic officials said the move is aimed at making building plan approvals faster and more accountable.
The second directive focuses on keeping citizens better informed about the progress of civic projects.
KMC has asked all agencies to display detailed project timelines at work sites in the form of charts that show each stage of construction, its projected start and completion date, and the overall expected completion deadline. The displays, which can be in the form of charts, must be placed prominently for
the public to see.
An official said the measure is intended to ensure transparency in how projects are executed and to give citizens a clearer picture of how long a project will take to finish. Officials said this would also help residents track whether deadlines
are being met.