[1]The office of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in Egmore has virtually turned into a classroom for scores of licensed architects and draughtsmen in the city over the past few weeks.
For, the planning officials have been busy clarifying the queries raised by the architects who find it tough to cope with the newly launched automated planning permission approval scrutiny scheme (APPAS) for granting sanction approvals for high-rise buildings in the city and the suburbs.
Sources in CMDA told DC that they had been spending considerable time in explaining the technical aspects of APPAS to the architects since it came into effect from September.
“Several architects and draughtsmen have been approaching us with various queries on the new system, which is affecting the already understaffed wing,” said a senior official in CMDA.
The officials point out that the section on the third floor where the employees verify the CDs is bustling with designers coming with fresh queries every day.
“Without even seeing our website where we have clearly explained the new scheme, they are upon us to explain from the first as if a student. We have now become instructors for them, which is certainly not our job, though we are bound to clarify their doubts.”
Admitting that several among the 10,000 architects and draughtsmen in the city are finding APPAS tough, architect L. Sathish says, “Since it’s new, it will take at least a few months to get used to it, though we have been using computers to prepare drawings for several years.”
The new system, which has been made compulsory for ‘special buildings’ (four-storeyed) and multi-storeyed buildings, is aimed at speedy clearance of plan approval applications.
It requires submission of applications in digitised (CD) format that would be cross-checked by specially designed software. It will reject the CD if the drawing in it does not comply with the specified development regulation parameters.
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