The Hindu       12.01.2011

Building permit guidelines relaxed

The government has simplified norms for constructing residential buildings up to 300 sq.m. in areas marked as green strips in the Thiruvananthapuram master plan.

An official release issued here on Tuesday said that permit would be given to plots having compound wall, dry cultivation, lying adjacent to buildings constructed with approval and those having road access, drinking water, drainage and power supply. Those satisfying any one of the conditions will get permission. An earlier norm that plots registered before January 1, 2008, alone should be considered for granting permission has also been scrapped.

Suspended

An assistant engineer of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation C. Ramachandran and an overseer Sisupalan were suspended from service for delaying the issue of building permit. The action was taken after an inquiry conducted by a senior town planner on the basis of a complaint received at the Local Administration Minister's office.