AP Govt to regularise unapproved buildings

Srikakulam: Residential houses and commercial buildings constructed without approved plan will be regularised soon. The State government issued GO MS No14 on January 4 this year as a gift to building owners in all cities, towns and nagara panchayats across the State.

As per the GO, buildings constructed between January 1, 1985 and August 31, 2018 without approved plan from the concerned authorities will be regularised. 

To regularise these buildings, initially the building owner need to pay Rs 10,000 as penalty and upload their building plans. After verifying it, the officials concerned will approve it through online.

In Srikakulam district, one municipal corporation headquarters, three municipal towns, Palasa, Amudalavalasa and Itchapuram and two Nagara Panchayats, Palakonda and Rajam are in existence.

According to town planning officials, in total 7,849 buildings had been constructed without approved plan between January 1,1985 and August 31, 2018 in one corporation, three municipalities and two nagara panchayats. 

Buildings constructed in government lands, buffer areas, master plan notified areas, land allotted for roads and lands pooled for public utility are not eligible to regularise and officials have been instructed not to receive any penalty and tax amount from the owners of those buildings. 

“We will appoint special teams to identify unapproved buildings through gps,” town and planning officer  B S Murthy said. “We have identified 2,400 buildings across Srikakulam city which were constructed without approved plan,” corporation commissioner R Sriramula Naidu told this newspaper.