Pune Decentralizes Building Permissions to Streamline Approvals and Enhance Accountability

To speed up approvals and increase accountability, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram issued orders on Thursday to decentralize approval powers within the building permission department.

The order replaces a 2010 directive issued during the tenure of the then municipal commissioner, under which deputy engineers of the building permission department had effectively become the final approving authority for most building permissions.

Under the revised system, approval powers will now be distributed among different engineering ranks based on the size of the proposed development project. Proposals where the total built-up area is below 2,000 square metres will be approved at the deputy engineer level. For projects with an area between 2,000 sq m and 10,000 sq m, layout and building permissions will require approval from the executive engineer. Proposals exceeding 10,000 sq m, as well as projects requiring environmental clearance now or in the future, will need approval from the superintending engineer.

The order further states that after approvals are granted by the competent authorities, all related correspondence and communications will continue to be issued in the prescribed format under the signatures of the junior engineer and deputy engineer.

Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Ram said, “The earlier system had created excessive concentration of authority at the deputy engineer level, resulting in operational bottlenecks and lack of accountability.”

Additional municipal commissioner Pavneet Kaur said, “The 2010 order has been replaced with a fresh order which clearly specifies the hierarchy and approval powers for building permission proposals based on the size of the project. The objective is to ensure faster decision-making, improve accountability and streamline the approval process within the building permission department.”

According to officials, the move is expected to significantly reduce delays in processing files, especially large-scale construction proposals, which earlier required routing through a limited approval structure despite varying project complexities.

Senior PMC officials pointed out that the revised delegation aligns authority with project scale and sensitivity. Smaller projects will continue to be handled at lower levels for quicker disposal, while larger developments involving extensive construction activity or environmental implications will now come under senior officers.

A senior official from the building permission department, requesting anonymity, said, “The old framework often resulted in the accumulation of files at the deputy engineer level, slowing approvals and increasing opportunities for discretionary intervention. The revised hierarchy creates multiple layers of responsibility and scrutiny.”

The order assumes significance at a time when Pune is witnessing rapid urban expansion, particularly in peripheral areas with large residential and commercial developments.

Civic activists have also repeatedly raised concerns over the concentration of decision-making powers in a limited set of officers, arguing that the system fostered unhealthy practices and weakened institutional checks.

Sunil Aiyer, director of the Mohammadwadi Undri Residents Welfare Development Foundation, said, “The new approval mechanism has the potential to break the nexus between corporators, deputy engineers and real estate developers that had developed over the years under the earlier system. Decentralising powers and introducing higher-level scrutiny for larger projects can improve accountability and transparency in the building permission department.”