GHMC to penalise, then raze illegal structures

​Hyderabad: A lot of backend activity is taking place in the Department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development.

The department, which is keen to ensure that the new districts in Telangana do not grow in a haphazard manner, is now in the process of giving finishing touches to new guidelines to prevent illegal constructions.

The new guidelines would impose heavy penalty on the owners of illegal constructions and will also reserve the right to demolish them. Paying heavy penalty does not mean that the illegal structures would be regularised.

The owners would be asked to remove them on their own and if they fail to do so, notices for demolition would be issued, a top source in the department told The Hans India.

Where ever demolitions may not be possible, the owner of such building will have to pay the penalty amount every year depending on the market value of the land.

The sources said that simultaneously, efforts were on to constitute Municipal Tribunals which would help in speedy adjudication of cases pertaining to illegal constructions.

If anyone wants to approach the courts, they will have to seek the permission of the Tribunal. The sources said nearly 2.40 lakh illegal constructions had been identified in Greater Hyderabad limits and another two lakh constructions were found in other urban areas.

The sources said the new initiative to impose heavy penalty against illegal constructions without giving them any right for regularisation would not only help in generating revenue but would also protect the government lands from encroachments in future.

A separate wing would be created in every municipal corporation to deal with illegal constructions and land encroachments.

The Urban Master Plan which was under preparation for every municipality would also take into consideration the illegal constructions and encroachments to set the things right in the administration of urban bodies, the sources said.