The Telangana High Court (HC) on the 4th of March, reviewed a hearing over illegal and unauthorized construction in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC.)
Recently, Gottimukula Nageshwar Rao filed a petition seeking a prayer not to demolish the unauthorised structure he had raised on a house in Kukatpally mandal. The court has converted the petition as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL,) against these unauthorised and illegal construction.
On the 4th of March, the Telangana HC took a note of the role of junior level officials of the GHMC. This is the first time the Court reviewed the town planning section of the GHMC.
The town planning section including junior officials are blamed for illegal constructions in the City. The Telangana High Court warned that heads would face consequences if any delinquency is noticed among the staff in curbing illegal constructions.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy reviewed the matter. They made it clear that the High Court will monitor all the recalcitrant officers who are not paying attention to rampant illegal and unauthorised constructions taking place.
Chief Justice Kohli said, “If they don’t pick up the thread even now, they will face the consequences.”
The bench opined that the town planning officers at all levels were in connivance with builders of illegal constructions, and hence they were ignoring violations.
In addition, Justice Vijaysen Reddy said, “The officials, on the one hand, threaten persons resorting to illegal constructions that their constructions will be demolished; and on the other hand, they show them the way to approach the lower courts and obtain a stay. After obtaining the stay, they would complete the construction. Later, the builders would apply for Bank Reconciliation Statement (BRS) and get their constructions regularised. They never file vacate stay petitions against the protection being given to the violators. This is practice going on.”
Justice Reddy further explained to the CJ that the field staff at the GHMC does not come into the picture even as their role is pivotal in restraining persons from resorting to illegal constructions. Infact, these staff alert violators as to when the inspection would be conducted and who complained against the ongoing illegal construction.
Taking note, Justice Kohli inquired about the vigilance department of the GHMC and asked whether the GHMC took any action against the staff and tried to prosecute the violators or any penal action was initiated in these proceedings.
Hima Kohli also directed the zonal commissioners to file their individual affidavits in a tabulated form with all the information.
The directions are that all the six zonal commissioners in the GHMC, responsible for 30 circles and 150 wards should file their individual affidavits, duly furnishing the details of how many illegal constructions they had identified under their jurisdiction till the end of 2019.
The Telangana HC also directed the municipal commissioner of Peddamberpet municipality of Ranga Reddy district to submit the details of that municipality.
The court directed all the concerned people to submit the detailed information to the court within four weeks.
The next hearing regarding the matter is scheduled for the 15th of April.
