Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authoritys college concession irks common man

May 5, 2012 - PRLog -- For Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), 'some are more equal than others' when it comes to regularizing unauthorized buildings within its jurisdiction.

While regularization of unauthorized buildings under the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) was closed in September 2011 with action having been taken against those found in violation of norms, HMDA is now regularizing illegal buildings of professional colleges upon payment of the penalty.

Interestingly, some professional colleges (majority being engineering colleges) did apply for building regularization when BPS was announced, in 2008. However, since most of the applicants neither made full payment nor provided the necessary documents, their requests were rejected. Indeed, HMDA had also written to the Rangareddy district administration to demolish those illegal buildings whose applications had been rejected.

Now, all of a sudden, HMDA has re-opened regularization of structures but limited its scope exclusively to professional colleges. Sources in HMDA claimed that this has been done to raise much-needed funds as the urban authority is passing through a severe financial crisis. HMDA has started accepting fresh applications from professional colleges for the re-opened regularization scheme and announced that the last date for new requests was May 15. Applicants, availing of the scheme have to submit land use certificates by May 31. Sources said there are over 200 colleges on the rim of the state capital falling under HMDA jurisdiction. These educational institutions are spread over areas like Gundla Pochampally, Ghatkesar, Peeramchervu, Keesara, Bandlaguda, Shamshabad, Poppalguda, Vattinagulapalli, Nadergul, Srinagar, Tukkuguda, Ameenpur, Dundigal, Suraram, Kokapet, Himayatsagar, Bata Singaram, Ankushapur, Pigillapur, Mangalpally, Kandlakoya, Sherguda and Chikati Mamidi. Most of these buildings were constructed when the area they are located in were under gram panchayat limits. Of the nearly 200 such structures, only about 20 were built with permission from gram panchayats and the erstwhile Hyderabad Urban Development Authority.

In this current window for regularization, 94 colleges had purchased applications till Saturday. Of them, 81 have so far paid the fine. The urban authority is expecting to raise about Rs 100 crore through this latest move.

However, the decision to limit the scheme to colleges has not gone down well with the common man. "Why has HMDA given an opportunity to professional colleges (for regularization) after it stopped accepting BPS applications in 2008 and ended processing pending applications in September 2011. The facility should be extended to common people as well," VVN Murthy, a resident of Manikonda whose BPS application was rejected for non-payment of penalty before September 2011, told TOI.

Interestingly, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had recently sent a report to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department stating that about 27,000 'partially completed' BPS applications are pending. When contacted, HMDA chief planning officer Ziauddin said that what was currently being done in the case of professional colleges cannot be described as regularization. "We are approving building plans of colleges upon payment of a compounding fee by invoking a provision in the HMDA Act," Ziauddin said.

But MA&UD officials said that the compounding fee provision is applicable only in isolated cases and only for non-high-rise buildings and described the HMDA move as highly irregular.

Visit My Website (http://www.hyderabadrealestate.com/news.php for details