Juxt-a-Position is a thought-leadership blog by Apurva Pathak, Registered Architect (NZ & India), exploring how design, policy, and digital innovation—especially BIM = IT 2.0—can transform India’s built environment. It bridges global practices and Indian realities, advocating accountability, education reform, and smarter governance across architecture, urban development, and construction management for a truly Viksit Bharat 2047.
Every state interprets the National Building Code differently — formats, forms, and standards vary.
This fragmentation costs billions in delays and rework.
Digital compliance is not just efficiency — it’s accountability.
When rules become machine-readable, corruption becomes machine-detectable.
The Bigger Picture
SP 73 is to architecture what GST was to taxation — a unifier for growth and transparency.
It lays the foundation for a National BIM Stack that connects education, policy, and practice.
In New Zealand, every specialist who contributes to a building—from structural engineers to waterproofing installers—issues a Producer Statement (PS) declaring that their work meets the approved design and complies with building regulations.
This simple document does more than tick a compliance box—it creates traceability and personal accountability. When an installer signs a PS3 (Construction), they’re not just attesting that the job is done; they’re vouching that it’s done right. The designer or engineer then issues a PS4 (Construction Review) verifying that the work meets design intent.
Imagine this mindset applied in India. Instead of the entire liability chain defaulting to the architect or developer, responsibility would be distributed across qualified contributors. It would encourage licensed installers, reduce rework, and foster a more mature supply chain. When accountability becomes structured, collaboration follows naturally.
2️⃣ Insurance-Linked Approvals – Reducing Risk and Raising Standards
For India, where project risk often gets buried in layers of subcontracting, insurance-linked approvals could be a game-changer. Approvals for major developments could be contingent on proof of professional cover—aligning incentives between competence and compliance. It also opens up room for private insurers to become part of the quality-control ecosystem, ensuring that the design, execution, and certification processes are independently audited and financially underwritten.
In effect, this system transforms “approval” from a procedural step into a financial commitment to quality.
3️⃣ Councils With Enforcement Teeth – Making Safety Non-Negotiable
In New Zealand, local councils have clear, enforceable powers to halt, inspect, and even demolish non-compliant works. They maintain public registers of licensed practitioners and track building consents through digital portals. This ensures not only transparency but also real-time governance of construction safety.
In India, while local bodies issue building permits and occupancy certificates, enforcement often ends at approval. Strengthening the regulatory muscle—whether through empowered municipal departments or regional Building Control Authorities—would create the deterrent India’s fast-growing cities need.
The key is not more paperwork, but predictable enforcement: digital tracking of consents, mandatory inspection logs, and transparent records of who signed what. When professionals know their work can be audited, safety becomes an embedded habit, not an afterthought.
From Compliance to Culture
These three practices—producer statements, insurance-linked approvals, and empowered councils—aren’t just administrative reforms. Together, they represent a cultural shift from compliance to accountability.
India doesn’t need to replicate New Zealand’s system wholesale. It needs to adapt the spirit of these mechanisms—anchoring trust in competence, not just certification. As India gears up for Viksit Bharat 2047, the transformation of its building ecosystem will depend not on more regulation, but on smarter, shared responsibility.
