Patiala, May 22 – A technical snag in Punjab’s newly implemented online map approval system for Urban Estates and Urban Housing Development has triggered widespread discontent, with architects and the public urging the state government to reinstate the manual system temporarily.
Since April 20, the government phased out the manual process and mandated the use of the Pre-D.C.R. software for map approvals. However, due to persistent technical issues, no maps have been uploaded or approved in key cities including Bathinda, Amritsar, Mohali, Patiala, and Jalandhar.
“The situation has been deteriorating for over a month. The maps are not being uploaded, and that has paralyzed the entire approval process,” said Pritpal Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Punjab Chapter, during a press conference held today in Patiala.
Several prominent architects including R. S. Sandhu, L. R. Gupta, Sanjeev, and Munish Sharma were also present.
The IIA delegation has demanded that the government resume offline submissions immediately to prevent further delays.
“The idea of an online system is commendable, but without resolving the software issues, the whole initiative is backfiring,” said Ahluwalia.
“People are being forced into costly delays, and this directly affects consumers and the livelihood of architects.”
The architects said that when they approached officials operating the Pre-D.C.R. software, they were told that there is currently no fix available.
“We were told flatly that the software does not yet support solutions to our issues,” said architect Sanjeev.
The IIA warned that if the situation continues,people will bear the brunt as the construction costs keep rising with building materials like bricks, sand, and cement becoming more expensive over time, compounding the burden on end-users.
In a key development, the IIA delegation also met Punjab’s Principal Secretary Vikas Garg in Chandigarh to discuss the issue. Garg reportedly assured them that if the problem persists for a month, “the map uploaded by the architect in the Pre D.C.R. system will be considered as passed.”
