Bombay High Court lauds Navi Mumbai's idea of giving pandal permits online

The Bombay High Court on Thursday applauded the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's initiative to go online with the process of granting permissions for erecting pandals during festivals.

The court suggested that the state government study the civic body's effort, adding that it would, in the next hearing, direct all other corporations in the state to adopt the online process.

Temporary pandals at public places are mostly raised during Ganpati and Navaratri festivals.

The NMMC had filed a compliance affidavit informing the court about its online endeavour in response to an earlier HC order banning construction of pandals on roads and footpaths and areas where traffic or pedestrians might be affected.

It said special software for processing applications for permission of temporary pandals is being worked out. 

"The ward officer will receive the applications online, scrutinise them and, after being satisfied, will forward them to the traffic, police and fire brigade departments so they can grant their no-objection certificates."

The other departments would also be able to receive the applications online and accordingly upload their NOC on the system, it said.

A civic engineer would then visit the site and if everything is found to be in accordance with the law, an email will be sent to the applicant for making online payments to get the permit.