Architecture Institutions to come under Union Urban Development Ministry

All architecture engineering colleges including all SPAs (Schools of Planning & Architecture) and institutes such as Mumbai’s JJ School of Architecture and Ahmedabad’s CEPT University will be out of the purview of the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry, very soon.

The council of secretaries headed by cabinet secretary PK Sinha last month recommended that these institutes should be brought under the Union urban development ministry to ensure better synergy between what is taught in the institutes and how they are getting translated on the ground.

“The panel felt the urban development ministry, which deals with urban affair issues is better equipped to cater to the needs of architecture education since bulk of planned building activity and main employment space of practising architects and planners is in urban areas,“ said a government source.

Also, all building activities in urban areas are regulated through various building bye-laws which are standardised by the urban development ministry.

The committee has recommended reallocation of Architects Act, 1972 from the HRD ministry to the urban development ministry. The Act provides for registration of architects, standards of education, recognition of qualifications and standards of practice to be complied with by practising architects.

“The proposal will now go to the cabinet for final approval,” a HRD ministry official said.

Once the reallocation is done, the Council of Architects created under Section 3 of the Act will come under the urban development ministry.

“The 52 member council is mandated to regulate not only architectural education but its practice throughout India, besides maintaining the register of architects,” an SPA official said.

Date: Mar 9, 2017

Source: HT