Official guidance, Tamil Nadu land law
Circular on Automatic Scrutiny of Building Drawings Through e-dcr, 2016
The Department of Town and Country Planning, through Commissioner of Town and Country Planning (in charge) Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, issued the circular dated 20 September 2016 requiring building drawings for building permission applications to be submitted online for automated scrutiny using e-dcr. Other required documents and details continue to be submitted under the existing procedure, while field offices must print and manually check the online drawings and system-generated compliance report.
What the circular changes
The Department of Town and Country Planning circular dated 20 September 2016 changes how building drawings are received and scrutinised. Building drawings must no longer be received physically from applicants. They must be submitted online using the department's automated scrutiny software, identified mainly as e-dcr in the circular, although some references are printed as e-der.
The online software is stated to be available through the Department of Town and Country Planning website. The software had been installed on the department's central server for use by applicants and departmental offices.
Building permission applications
Applicants seeking building permission must continue to submit all documents and details required by the checklist under the existing procedure. The exception is the building drawing, which must be submitted online.
The Department of Town and Country Planning requires the new procedure for receiving building drawings to be followed with immediate effect. Applicants, licensed building surveyors and architects within each field office's jurisdiction are to be informed and encouraged to follow the online process.
Scrutiny by field offices
The concerned field office must scrutinise the online building drawing using the software. It must then:
- Print the building drawing and the system-generated rule compliance report.
- Attach both printouts to the relevant field office file.
- Manually compare the printed drawing with the compliance report.
- Identify any rule compliance omission not shown in the system-generated report.
- Ask the applicant to make the required correction.
- Report software gaps to the head office so that the software can be refined.
The Department of Town and Country Planning head office must also scrutinise drawings online only.
Applications requiring DTCP clearance
Applications forwarded for clearance of the Department of Town and Country Planning must include a copy of the system-generated rule compliance report, together with the other details required by the checklist.
Subordinate offices must implement the procedure immediately and report compliance. Implementation difficulties may be listed and sent to the head office. A user guide is available on the department website to help architects and licensed surveyors prepare drawings in the required format, and a help desk is available for clarification.
This summary is generated from the source document to help you find what is relevant. The PDF above is authoritative. For advice on your own property, use LandLens One or speak to a qualified professional.
Common questions
Can I submit a paper building drawing with my building permission application?
No. The circular requires building drawings to be submitted online. Other required documents and details continue to be submitted under the existing procedure.
Will the online compliance report be checked by an officer?
Yes. The field office must print the drawing and compliance report, compare them manually, and point out any compliance omission not identified by the software.
What must be sent to the head office for DTCP clearance?
The application must include a copy of the system-generated rule compliance report and the other details required by the checklist.
Is guidance available for preparing an online building drawing?
Yes. The circular states that a user guide is available on the department website and that architects and licensed surveyors may use a help desk for clarification.
