Soon, all municipal clearances within 24 hrs of applying

NEWDELHI: Themunicipalitiesof500 cities with a population of over a lakh will soon have to issue documents such as construction permits,rationcards,birthanddeath certificates, and marriage papers within 24 hours of receiving an online application.

Civicbodiescurrentlytakeanywherebetweenamonthandayear to provide these services, depending on the request.

This is one of the five urban reformsbeingpushedbytheUnion urbandevelopment(UD)ministry to streamline municipal services. “Earlier, municipalities used to firstverifyeachandeveryapplicationbeforeissuingthecertificate.It will be the other way round now. Municipalities will start the process of issuance of certificates soon afterreceivinganonlinerequest.It is a new approach based on trust. You trust and offer a service, and verifylater,”Unionurbandevelopment secretary Rajiv Gauba said.

This,however,willnotmakethe systemeasiertomanipulate.Ifthe verification process finds that an individual has suppressed or submitted wrong information, action will be taken under relevant municipal laws. All the proposed reformshavebeenlinkedtomonetary incentives as part of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and UrbanTransformation(AMRUT), aUDministryschemelaunchedby PrimeMinisterNarendraModiin June 2015 to upgrade urban infrastructure in 500 cities.