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MEERUT: For any constructing to come back up in Uttar Pradesh, a map — like a blueprint or a home plan — needs to be authorised by an architect. That is finished on-line. However earlier this month, an architects’ physique in Meerut discovered an anomaly — that they had authorised 20 maps between April and July 2 this yr however the platform confirmed 56 had been ratified. The path led to what seems to be a map rip-off — hundreds of illegitimate approvals got out allegedly by growth authority staff posing as architects for anyplace between Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh every. And the community, architects stated, is unfold throughout the state.
In March final yr, the state authorities revamped the Uttar Pradesh On-line Constructing Plan Approval System Portal to take the method on-line and minimise human intervention — constructing maps might be created, checked and uploaded on the platform. However there have been two loopholes. To make use of the platform, all one wanted was an architect’s registration quantity. The opposite requirement was that of a cellphone quantity. However since registration numbers and cellphone numbers are usually not linked, somebody with only a registration quantity might enter their very own cellphone quantity and get an OTP to log in. One other obvious hole allowed an architect to log in with a couple of ID. So, an impostor might generate a brand new ID for an architect and use that to realize entry.
That’s what occurred to an Azamgarh-based architect who discovered 144 approvals had been given out in Meerut utilizing his title with a second ID created by an impostor. “After we acquired in contact with him, he stated he had not sanctioned even one constructing map over the previous yr,” president of Meerut Architects’ Affiliation Ankit Agarwal informed TOI. “Our estimate is that a minimum of 800 maps had been authorised illegally … Even the very best architects right here wouldn’t have authorised greater than 30 maps in a yr.”
Quickly after the Meerut circumstances, many others got here ahead. An architect from Meerut, Anil Kumar Mehra, 75, found that his ID was being utilized in Hapur’s Pilkhuwa Growth Authority. “I’ve given an affidavit saying I’ve nothing to do with the approval of maps issued in Hapur and requested that the maps be cancelled,” he stated. One other from Lucknow, Jitender Tripathi, stumbled upon his ID being within the Gorakhpur Growth Authority. “Dozens of maps had been falsely authorised utilizing my title. It’s a defective system that’s being abused. It’s ruining our repute,” he stated.
After the operations had been flagged, UP’s chief city and nation planner (CTCP) Anoop Srivastava requested all growth authorities within the state to file FIRs wherever these map scams had been reported. “All vice chairpersons of growth authorities have been requested to look into the matter after the state’s senior city planning officers met in Lucknow,” he informed TOI. “To this point, 18 such IDs fraudulently created or used have been recognized … We try to plug the platform loopholes by introducing digital signatures and linking them to Aadhaar.”
Architects stated growth authority staff are the “solely ones” accustomed to your entire approval system. “There are junior engineers and draftsmen who can simply chart maps and approve them,” an architect stated. And it’s not simply individuals trying to get away with constructing violations, elevating buildings in unauthorised colonies or, merely, skipping the queue. “Generally, individuals go to the event authority as an alternative of going to an architect for approval as a result of they don’t know the brand new guidelines.”
The UP Architects’ Affiliation is planning to take the case to courtroom. “We’ve requested the authorities to cancel all such illegally authorised maps,” Manish Mishra, secretary of the physique, stated. Srivastava was unsure: “That could be a name we’ve to take as soon as we all know the total extent of the rip-off.”
In March final yr, the state authorities revamped the Uttar Pradesh On-line Constructing Plan Approval System Portal to take the method on-line and minimise human intervention — constructing maps might be created, checked and uploaded on the platform. However there have been two loopholes. To make use of the platform, all one wanted was an architect’s registration quantity. The opposite requirement was that of a cellphone quantity. However since registration numbers and cellphone numbers are usually not linked, somebody with only a registration quantity might enter their very own cellphone quantity and get an OTP to log in. One other obvious hole allowed an architect to log in with a couple of ID. So, an impostor might generate a brand new ID for an architect and use that to realize entry.
That’s what occurred to an Azamgarh-based architect who discovered 144 approvals had been given out in Meerut utilizing his title with a second ID created by an impostor. “After we acquired in contact with him, he stated he had not sanctioned even one constructing map over the previous yr,” president of Meerut Architects’ Affiliation Ankit Agarwal informed TOI. “Our estimate is that a minimum of 800 maps had been authorised illegally … Even the very best architects right here wouldn’t have authorised greater than 30 maps in a yr.”
Quickly after the Meerut circumstances, many others got here ahead. An architect from Meerut, Anil Kumar Mehra, 75, found that his ID was being utilized in Hapur’s Pilkhuwa Growth Authority. “I’ve given an affidavit saying I’ve nothing to do with the approval of maps issued in Hapur and requested that the maps be cancelled,” he stated. One other from Lucknow, Jitender Tripathi, stumbled upon his ID being within the Gorakhpur Growth Authority. “Dozens of maps had been falsely authorised utilizing my title. It’s a defective system that’s being abused. It’s ruining our repute,” he stated.
After the operations had been flagged, UP’s chief city and nation planner (CTCP) Anoop Srivastava requested all growth authorities within the state to file FIRs wherever these map scams had been reported. “All vice chairpersons of growth authorities have been requested to look into the matter after the state’s senior city planning officers met in Lucknow,” he informed TOI. “To this point, 18 such IDs fraudulently created or used have been recognized … We try to plug the platform loopholes by introducing digital signatures and linking them to Aadhaar.”
Architects stated growth authority staff are the “solely ones” accustomed to your entire approval system. “There are junior engineers and draftsmen who can simply chart maps and approve them,” an architect stated. And it’s not simply individuals trying to get away with constructing violations, elevating buildings in unauthorised colonies or, merely, skipping the queue. “Generally, individuals go to the event authority as an alternative of going to an architect for approval as a result of they don’t know the brand new guidelines.”
The UP Architects’ Affiliation is planning to take the case to courtroom. “We’ve requested the authorities to cancel all such illegally authorised maps,” Manish Mishra, secretary of the physique, stated. Srivastava was unsure: “That could be a name we’ve to take as soon as we all know the total extent of the rip-off.”
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