Ram Mohan Naidu Calls for Automated NOC Process, 15-Day Clearance

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Wednesday emphasised the need to make the issuance of no objection certificates (NOCs) process hassle-free, transparent, automated and time-bound, with minimal manual intervention. The proposed reforms are aimed at facilitating members of the general public, societies, builders and industry while ensuring that the regulatory requirements related to aviation safety continue to be duly addressed, the minister said during a meeting with senior officers of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) here.

The meeting was organised to review measures for promoting Ease of Doing Business in the civil aviation sector, with particular emphasis on simplifying and streamlining the process for issuance of NOCs. Naidu directed the concerned officers to examine and work out the modalities for simplifying, automating and decentralizing the NOC process, including the above measures, and to take necessary action for their implementation within a timeline of 15 days.

According to an official statement, the minister also discussed the feasibility of providing the permissible/identified building height to applicants at the initial stage itself, particularly in major metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Such an approach would enable applicants and other stakeholders to take informed decisions and plan their building development in accordance with the applicable height restrictions from the outset, he mentioned.

The overall objective of these reforms is to ensure expeditious and time-bound clearance of proposals, with relevant data and permissible height information made transparently available in the public domain, including through the website, without in any manner compromising aviation safety. The existing geographical coverage of the No Objection Certificate Application System (NOCAS) was also reviewed. NOCAS presently covers areas within 20 kms for VFR (Visual Flight Rules) operations and 56 kms for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operations. The meeting considered the feasibility of issuing NOCs at the Urban Local Body (ULB) level, wherever feasible, thereby reducing the need for individuals and industries to approach AAI directly for obtaining NOCs.

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