THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Construction permits for large buildings including flats in cities can only be obtained online from today. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kannur, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Guruvayur municipalities, applications will be accepted only through IBPMS (Intelligent business process management system) software from today. The urban affairs department has suggested that direct application should not be accepted in these places.

At present, only applications for buildings up to 3000 square feet in 84 municipalities and five corporations were accepted through IBPMS. This has only been applicable only to houses.

It has been alleged that officials directly accept applications for large-scale constructions, including flats, which leads to corruption. If the application is submitted through artificial intelligence software, the permit can be obtained only if the plan and related documents are correct. So the authorities hope to avoid corruption completely. The new changes require training of employees and authorized licensees to operate the software.

Regularization and occupancy

Regularization and occupancy of small and large buildings in eight municipalities will go online. These applications will also not be accepted in person. Earlier attempts to bring regularization and occupancy of small buildings online were unsuccessful. There are also allegations of corruption in processing its applications.