Hyderabad: Town planning staff to face action for allowing construction deviations

Hyderabad: MAUD department has directed the Municipal Commissioners to take action against the town planning personnel who have committed irregularities and allowed deviations in constructions.

According to the sources in CDMA, there were reports of deviations in constructions in the towns and questions were raised against the town planning staff. Sources said that the Vigilance and Enforcement department observed irregularities in allowing deviations in the constructions of the approved plans and also inaction by the staff in taking action against those responsible for un-authorised construction deviations.

As per the GO 168 issued in 2012 in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, it allowed deviations upto 10 per cent only and the town planning staff was asked to follow the GO 168 while checking the constructions. However, the Vigilance and Enforcement department found that there were major deviations (more than 10 per cent) in the setbacks, use of building, utilising/occupied building without any occupancy certificate. According to an official, the V&E department observed that simply issuing notices would not serve the purpose of action to be taken against the deviation noticed. The department opined that the deviations in the setback would have been avoided at the time of setting out the building and floor levels.

All the commissioners of Municipal Corporations and Municipalities in the State have been directed to take suitable action as per the norms and procedures in vogue against the deviations in the buildings.

Director of Municipal Administration N Satyanarayana issued a circular recently asking the commissioners to take action on the deviations.

Officials said that the property owners, who have deviated in constructions to the approved plans in municipalities and Corporations, would also be held responsible.

The state government is proposing to start the TSBpass, aimed at simplifying the building permissions norms. With the new building permission norms, the citizens would have to give self certification and if there are deviations the owners would have to pay three times penalty, the official said.