The recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) and the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services (KSFES) Department regarding fire safety certification has sparked intrigue within the real estate sector.
An industry expert has raised concerns about the credibility of this new approach, questioning the feasibility of completing the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) and a clearance certificate (CC) within an expedited timeframe of just 30 days, a task that previously took months and sometimes even years. "Currently, the KSFES has been manually reviewing each drawing, scrutinizing numerous errors and suggestions, which is a time-consuming process. As per our MoU, we will be supplying software developed by a specialized company that can automatically detect errors in the drawings. This software will highlight any discrepancies in red, allowing the department to quickly condone or reject a project proposal with a simple click of a button. The same software has already been successfully provided to various civic bodies in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Nagpur, thus establishing its reliability," stated Sushil Mantri, who leads CREDAI and oversaw the MoU signing.
Mantri emphasized that this initiative is vital, given that nearly 90 percent of developers are grappling with challenges due to the poor compliance of a few builders with the required standards.
"CREDAI members contribute approximately 60-70 percent of the overall output for our city. Moreover, the pathway to becoming a member of the confederation mandates adherence to a code of conduct, which ensures compliance with all necessary approvals and regulations. Delays in approval not only result in financial losses for builders as production stagnates but also hinder the revenue flow to both the city and the BBMP," he asserted.