Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority on Tuesday held sarpanches and executive officers of certain gram panchayats responsible for the rapid spread of illegal constructions on the outskirts of the city.
V. Narasimha Goud, counsel for the HMDA, told a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akhter that the greed for money of certain sarpanches and EOs has resulting in mushrooming of illegal constructions in violation of HMDA norms.
The bench was dealing with a petition by Jammi Nagamani, sarpanch of Kompally gram panchayat in Ranga Reddy district, seeking to direct the HMDA to share various fees and charges being collected by the HMDA from gram panchayats and nagar panchayats located within its limits.
Counsel for HMDA brought to the notice of the court that one of the sarpanches has produced a movie through his son with such ill-gotten money.
He said that the panchayats are empowered to permit G+2 floor buildings and HMDA is empowered to sanction permission for buildings beyond G+2 floors.
A. Sanjeev Kumar, special counsel for the government, said the gram panchayats have been paying a fee to the HMDA after deducting their share.
Senior counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy, appearing for the petitioner, refuted the contention of special counsel and said the HMDA was collecting crores of rupees towards layouts/building approvals in villages falling within its limits, while the local bodies are the executive agencies to provide all basic amenities in those layouts or buildings with their own funds.
