Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday launched ‘CivitTwin’, India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based building permission system, in a major push towards digitising and streamlining Mumbai’s construction approval process. The platform was inaugurated by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the "Mumbai Tech Week 2026" held at the Jio World Convention Centre. Designed to virtually pre-scrutinise building proposals before formal submission, the system will help architects and developers identify errors, missing documents, rule violations and pending no-objection certificates (NOCs) at an early stage, reducing delays in approvals.
Based on the concept of a “Digital Approval Twin”, the ‘CivitTwin’ system has been developed to make Mumbai’s building permission process faster, more accurate, transparent and efficient. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, while presenting the platform during the event, highlighted its role in streamlining construction approvals through AI-driven scrutiny. She explained that under the new system, architects and developers will be able to upload building plans and related documents onto the platform, following which the AI-based engine will carry out a “Virtual Pre-Scrutiny” of the proposal. The system will automatically verify compliance with Development Control Regulations (DCR), validate mandatory documents and identify all required NOCs linked to the project.
Bhide further said that developers, architects and licensed surveyors currently have to manually complete multiple applications, comply with provisions under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act and submit several technical checklists as part of the building approval process, making scrutiny of large volumes of documents a complex and time-consuming exercise. This often leads to inconsistencies, repeated objections and delays in approvals. With the introduction of AI-driven scrutiny under the ‘CivitTwin’ platform, much of the information will now be auto-populated directly from submitted plans and documents, significantly reducing manual intervention. Since the verification process will be completed before formal submission, the system is expected to minimise errors, speed up approvals and make the process more transparent and efficient.
Sunil Rathod, Chief Engineer, Development Plan department said, "Building proposals are frequently returned with objections due to incomplete applications, missing documents, violations of DCR and the absence of mandatory approvals, forcing applicants to repeatedly revise and resubmit proposals. Such procedural hurdles often result in delays extending from several weeks to even months. Annually, around 8,000 redevelopment proposals are submitted, of which nearly 60 per cent get rejected due to various technical reasons,” he said. Rathod added that the new AI-driven system is expected to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in the approval process by identifying deficiencies at the pre-scrutiny stage itself and enabling proposals to be cleared within five to six days.
Also Watch:
* New system will benefit Mumbaikars by speeding up housing and redevelopment projects through faster approvals, reducing delays and uncertainty for homebuyers.
* Architects and developers are expected to benefit significantly as the AI-driven digital platform will reduce repeated revisions, save time and costs, and streamline the overall approval process.
* It will also help improve planning of roads, water supply, sewage systems, traffic and other civic infrastructure, while also supporting future urban expansion and redevelopment projects across Mumbai.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
