The Andhra Pradesh government has introduced a uniform three-level mechanism for supervisory checks of buildings and processing of Occupancy Certificates across Nagar Panchayats, Municipalities, Municipal Corporations and Urban Development Authorities, according to Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) S. Suresh Kumar.

The reform is aimed at reducing procedural delays, streamlining file movement and fixing accountability, while retaining the existing level of regulatory oversight.

Under the earlier system, building files passed through multiple levels of Town Planning officials, depending on the site area, often resulting in delays in supervisory inspections and issuance of Occupancy Certificates.

The revised framework restricts the process to three levels, with the Level-3 officer serving as the confirming authority.

The system covers six categories of buildings, ranging from sites up to 100 square metres to those exceeding 4,000 square metres, excluding high-rise buildings. The Ward Planning and Regulatory Secretary will serve as the Level-1 officer across all the categories, while the seniority of officers at Levels 2 and 3 will vary according to the size of the site.

The three-level structure will also be followed for processing Occupancy Certificates. Where the prescribed cadre officer is unavailable, the next higher-ranking officer will exercise the powers.

The mechanism creates a clear chain of responsibility and establishes a uniform procedure across the Urban Local Bodies and Urban Development Authorities. The government expects the rationalised system to reduce unnecessary file movement, improve time-bound accountability and ensure faster completion of inspections and Occupancy Certificate processes.