NAGPUR: The registration of flats in Nagpur has been temporarily halted as the district administration initiates a thorough verification of builders’ compliance with essential infrastructure and safety standards prior to granting occupancy certificates (OCs). This decision was made by guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in a District Planning Committee (DPC) meeting on Monday, which also introduced several significant urban governance decisions.
In a notable policy change, Bawankule revealed that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will now have the authority to approve building plans in layouts created by the former Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), consolidating building permissions under a unified planning authority for the first time.
Instructing the district sub-registrar to cease flat registrations until further notice, he directed the NMC to present a detailed report within seven days regarding residential projects’ compliance with mandatory infrastructure norms before issuing occupancy certificates.
This initiative follows concerns from MLAs and civic leaders about various apartment complexes receiving occupancy certificates despite lacking fundamental infrastructure elements, such as sewerage and drainage systems, firefighting measures, and other essential civic amenities. Officials noted that these shortcomings have intensified the strain on public infrastructure and civic services in numerous neighborhoods.
Questioning the issuance of occupancy certificates without complete adherence to government regulations, Bawankule called for a thorough investigation into the approval procedure. He emphasized that flat registrations will remain suspended until the government is assured that developers have met all statutory requirements outlined in the building regulations.
The transfer of building plan approval from NIT to NMC is viewed as a critical step toward simplifying the city’s development approval process by removing overlapping authorities.
Until now, layouts governed by NIT adhered to a separate approval process even as NMC primarily managed the civic infrastructure in those areas.
This decision has once again brought attention to the future of the nearly century-old Nagpur Improvement Trust. Elected officials from various political parties have consistently called for the dissolution of NIT, arguing that several layouts developed by the planning agency lack adequate roads, drainage, sewerage, and other essential amenities, ultimately resulting in NMC bearing the maintenance burden.
During the winter session of the state legislature in December 2024, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis indicated that the long-overdue proposal to dissolve NIT was under active consideration.
