As part of its continued commitment to enhancing Ease of Doing Business and to promote transparency, efficiency and digital governance, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (Goa-IDC) organised an Advance Workshop on Preparing Plans in Compliance with the Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS) for Architects and Engineers.
The session witnessed active participation from Architects, Engineers and Technical experts from across Goa’s industrial and infrastructure ecosystem.
The workshop, led by Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, Managing Director, Goa-IDC, was designed to equip participants with a practical understanding of OBPAS, clarify procedural queries and demonstrate best practices to ensure compliance with Goa-IDC’s updated digital plan approval standards.
Speaking on the occasion, Pravimal Abhishek emphasised the Corporation’s vision to empower professionals and improve governance through technology “The Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS) is a transformative step toward ensuring faster, transparent, and predictable plan approvals. By engaging with architects and engineers through such workshops, Goa-IDC aims to promote a deeper understanding of the system, encourage compliance with design and regulatory standards, and create a business-friendly environment that supports industrial growth in Goa.”
During the workshop, a comprehensive presentation and live demonstration were made to explain the features, workflow, and benefits of OBPAS as a major reform initiative aligned with the State’s Ease of Doing Business agenda.
The workshop also featured a detailed briefing on Goa-IDC’s continuous efforts to strengthen governance and streamline the building plan approval process through the Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS). It was highlighted that prior to 2023, committee meetings for technical clearances were held once in two weeks; however, under the improved governance framework, meetings are now convened weekly, resulting in faster decision-making.
The approval process, which was earlier restricted to closed-door discussions, has been made transparent and is now open to clients, engineers, and architects. A rule-based agenda has replaced the earlier discretionary approach, ensuring uniformity and fairness in decisions.
Clear reasons are now recorded for every deferral or rejection, enhancing accountability. These reforms have yielded tangible results, with the number of technical clearances rising significantly from 76 approvals during August–December 2022 to 160 approvals between January–June 2023, reflecting greater efficiency and predictability in the system.
The key features of OBPAS were also presented, including the facility for applicants to pre-validate their building drawings at zero cost before formal submission, a 100% paperless workflow that automatically matches clients with registered architects and engineers, and real-time tracking of applications through every stage.
The platform, built on a robust DIGIT technology stack, ensures reliability, scalability and data security. Further enhancements to the OBPAS workflow were demonstrated, such as the integration of a Pre-Scrutiny Tool (GLDBCR Check) for automatic validation of plans in accordance with General Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, the inclusion of Design Standard Checks during committee reviews to ensure technical compliance, and the introduction of a One-Cycle Review System, which minimizes repetitive scrutiny and significantly reduces approval timelines.
The workshop concluded with participants commending Goa-IDC for initiating a practical, knowledge-driven platform that bridges the gap between digital reform and on-ground implementation. Goa-IDC reiterated its commitment to continue such capacity-building initiatives and ensure that the Ease of Doing Business principles are effectively translated into efficient service delivery across all its industrial areas.
