Hyderabad: Going back on its own words, the TRS government, which had made tall claims regarding showing “no mercy to violators”, has announced the BRS and LRS schemes a few months ahead of the GHMC council elections, expecting to earn Rs 1,200 crore.
The then TDP government, which was the first to introduce the schemes in 1998, had earned Rs 40.46 crore, while the Congress government in 2008 had collected Rs 868.87 crore from BRS and Rs 572.55 crore from LRS. The regularisation of illegal and deviated buildings and unauthorised layouts has become a racket of successive governments as the scheme has only encouraged builders to construct more illegal buildings, say experts.
Read: 95 per cent buildings under GHMC limits in deviated category
The TRS government had taken a bold step by demolishing over 88 buildings in the Ayyappa Society and other areas in 2014 and had announc-ed that no violator would escape. A massive demolition drive was planned, which didn’t take off. In less than 20 months of being in power, the TRS has shown that it is not different from the Congress and TDP governments that had announced BRS and LRS schemes.
Read: State’s LRS scheme flouts HMDA rules
Mr Mohammad Asad, former additional commissioner of Town Planning, said, “Violation of building rules is considered a victimless crime, which effects the population around. In the disguise of benefiting the common man, the government is generating revenue and also benefiting the major violators.
Read: Building Regularisation Scheme may congest city roads
Whenever regularisation is done, a penalty is collected, but the penalty is cheaper than the building cost. So the violator is at a profit. He/she who did not pay for the construction fee will get away paying less as penalty. It is a bonanza for violators and also for those who intend to do the same in the future.”
Read: It is just a political stunt: Experts
Mr O.M. Debra of Forum For Better Hyderabad said, “GHMC officers have been encouraging illegal constructions, while issuing notices to be on the safe side. Property buyers, on their part, have been approaching the courts and getting stay orders, which the corporation or the standing committee of the GHMC has done nothing to get vacated and in the bargain, the buildings have been completed. And the government has simply come up with regularisation, impose heavy fines and the officers get away.”
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
