The approval process of maps for multi-storeyed buildings by Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not commenced even two months after the state government came up with a set of new byelaws.

The gazette notification of the byelaws was issued on January 29. The Builders' Association has claimed that the stagnation in the real-estate sector would worsen if map approval doesn't start soon. Officials in the civic body attributed the delay to lack of required manpower and other resources.

"We were expecting that the procedure for approval of building maps would start once the new byelaws would come into effect but the situation has not changed. Initially, there was a delay in notification and gazette publication of the byelaws but the process has still not started. As a result, huge capital is still stuck in countless building projects," said Sachin Chandra, the state president of the Builders' Association of India (BAI).

Such a situation is prevailing despite a recent directive from the secretary at urban development and housing department to commence the map approval process without delay. Secretary B. Rajendra in a letter dated February 9 asked all urban local bodies to approve the maps according to the new byelaws, along with a warning of actions against those officers found making unnecessary delay in the same.

The draft of the maiden byelaws, aimed at regulating construction activities, was released by urban development and housing department on December 14, 2013. Later, the final draft of the byelaws was approved by the cabinet in its December 2, 2014, meeting.#"We have started accepting planning reports for new projects but we are not approving the maps as of now because of resource crunch. We don't have the required engineers with us, who would look after the map-approval procedure," said a senior PMC official.

Another issue considered to be delaying the plan approval is a clause in the byelaws mandating registration of builders. Sources claimed that nowhere in the state has the process of registration of builders started because of lack of corresponding guidelines from the urban development and housing department.

The real estate market in the state underwent a slump over the past two years. The urban development and housing department through a notification issued on December 13, 2012, imposed a ban on approval of maps for any multi-storeyed building over the height of 11m till the new byelaws come into effect. However, developers claimed that plans and maps were not getting approved for any kind of buildings.

"We were eagerly waiting the new byelaws for past two years. Across the state, developers have acquired land for residential project and were waiting for the building byelaws to commence construction works. However, with the PMC still not approving building maps, the situation remains the same. Consequently, construction projects worth Rs 2,500 crore are stuck," said Manikant, the former national vice-president of BAI.