00:00The bill to amend the public health ordinance has been passed in the upper house, significantly improving the approvals necessary
00:07for building in TNT.
00:10The bill seeks to remove the oversight of the county medical office of health from the construction permitting system planning
00:16permission.
00:17In essence, we are removing duplication of approvals in the construction permitting process that hamper progress, productivity in the construction
00:27sector and overall economic development.
00:30Planning Minister Kennedy Swaritsing anticipates the removal of bureaucratic red tape.
00:36Some CMOH offices decide in a month and others take more than 100 days for the same review.
00:44The cost of delay is real. Estimated at 5.4 billion of construction passes through the CMOH each year.
00:52But while the opposition supported the legislation in principle, PNM Senator Foster Cummings questioned what safeguards would accompany some of
01:01the changes.
01:02Where it specifies that the size of a lot should be at least 5,000 square feet. And we are
01:10all familiar with that.
01:13I did not hear from the Minister, and I don't know what the government policy is on this, whether at
01:20some future date, we are going to have a policy position on what is going to be the minimum size
01:28of a lot.
01:30Because by removing this requirement of 5,000 square feet, what are you replacing it with?
01:38Cummings also questioned whether the proposed 45-day target could be achieved and pressed government on how applications would be
01:46monitored to ensure they do not become backlogged.
01:50What timelines have been established for the individual agencies?
01:54Who monitors whether these timelines are being met?
01:57What happens when an application begins to fall behind?
02:01Is there an escalation mechanism?
02:03And who has responsibility for intervening before one delay causes an entire 45-day target to be missed?
02:10Who prevents one agency from taking that 45 days?
02:15Those questions will tell us whether this target was backed by a serious implementation plan.
02:21Local Government Minister Khadija Amin signaled her support for the changes.
02:25So on commencement, no CMOH approval can be required.
02:30So pending applications will be determined by the regional cooperation that they fall under.
02:37The intention is that they be routed to the cooperation rather than applications having to begin again.
02:45And the arrangements will be settled before the act is proclaimed.
02:49So there is no need for applicants to do over their application to send it back anywhere.
02:54Because both the regional cooperation and the CMOH already have these applications.
03:00The amendment bill has now cleared the upper house.
03:03Of course, it is intended to streamline the approval process while government moves towards its 45-day target for planning
03:11applications.
03:12Urvashi Tawari Ruknarain, TV6 News.
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