Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal made fresh calls for initiating reforms in the civic body of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).

Currently obtaining building permission in Guwahati is a cumbersome process that involves multiple agencies.

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Sonowal has subsequently directed the GMC to act as the single-window agency for granting permits for building construction.

The Guwahati Development Department (GDD), which is the nodal department for Guwahati, has also been directed to follow suit and make necessary modifications in the existing system.

Sonowal said that due to the involvement of multiple agencies in obtaining permission, the citizens have to face lots of difficulties as well as loss of valuable time. Considering this, he directed the GDD minister to introduce a new system for online receipt of application and fee charge, among other things.

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The Assam CM also took note of the depletion of ground-water level in Guwahati due to rampant boring activity at residential areas. He also suggested the incorporation of legal provision in the existing GMC Act to address the issue, reports The Economic Times.

He asked the department to suitably amend the existing provisions of the GMC Act and also to go through relevant Acts of other Governments to make it mandatory to obtain permission from the government before undertaking any deep boring within Guwahati.