BDA’s complicated manual building plan approval process attracts ire

BDA Head Office at Bengaluru. A senior BDA official said that the authority is working towards making the building plan approval process online to bring transparency in the system. | Photo Credit: Sudhakar Jain

While the city’s civic body has adopted a tech-driven online system, Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) cumbersome manual building plan approval system has led to huge delays in approvals and corruption, property owners complain.

“BDA’s approval process suffers from inordinate delays, often taking months instead of the mandatory 21 days. Unlike BBMP, BDA lacks an online platform to submit and track applications, forcing applicants to rely on a manual system that is both inefficient and time-consuming. Bureaucratic hurdles are common, requiring applicants to visit the BDA office multiple times and submit hard copies of documents, which leads to unnecessary complications Prashant said.

The applicant, Ramesh Kumar J (name changed), said he would get approval from the authority only after paying Rs 20,000 to the agent. “According to the agents, they have to pay at least Rs 12,000 to the authorities for this work. As my approval process was getting delayed, I got the green signal in 20 days after engaging an agent,” he said.

Corruption is a major issue, as many officials allegedly demand bribes to expedite approvals. Those who refuse to pay bribes face harassment, further demands and long delays. The process is also highly opaque, making it difficult for applicants to track the status of their submissions, a property owner said.

BBMP has implemented an online building approval system, significantly reducing processing time and minimizing corruption. Earlier this year, the civic body also introduced ‘Nambike Nakshe’ on the trust and verify model, where building plans issued by empaneled architects are deemed approved without any intervention from civic authorities. Citizens and urban planners are now urging the BDA to adopt similar reforms to modernize its approval process.

A senior BDA official said that the authority is working towards making the building plan approval process online to bring transparency in the system. “So far, we have given strict instructions to the authorities to approve construction plans within 48 hours of application. We appeal to the property owners not to contact middlemen and complain if the authorities delay taking decisions on their applications or demand bribes,” the official said.