Hyderabad: While it is common knowledge that land sharks have illegally encroached upon and occupied the full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone areas of water bodies over the past two decades, several home-buyers are falling prey to builders who have acquired land in such ways. After receiving numerous complaints regarding illegal layouts and unauthorised buildings constructed by private builders, the authorities have been forced to come up with schemes for regularisation.
S. Devender Reddy, the chief city planner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, says, “People should be vigilant about the land they procure. They should get the authorisation verified by GHMC and revenue department officials. A board comprising GHMC chief engineers, with the superintending engineer of the lakes division as its head, has been meeting every week and scrutinising requests for illegal constructions on lake beds.”
Reportedly, the board has received several proposals from persons seeking permission to carry out construction on FTL lands. Before approving any proposals, the board validates that the construction will not be in or around FTL and buffer zone area. To resolve disputes regarding ownership and aid the buyers of such lands, the GHMC has started issuing the TDR certificates, on the basis of which people may construct additional built-up area elsewhere in the city.
“The Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) policy comes to the aid of people who have purchased the land in the FTL zones. We are trying to compensate those who lose their lands to nala-widening or encroachment by giving them a double TDR,” says Mr Reddy.
Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has launched a web-based online facility – the unauthorised construction layouts information management system – to increase transparency in the approval of layouts.
HMDA commissioner T. Chiranjeevulu says, “Six special teams have been deputed to control unauthorised layouts, particularly in the peripheral areas of the city. Anybody with information regarding unauthorised layouts can lodge a complaint through the new system, following which, officials will visit the site to verify the facts. They will then upload a copy of the panchanama to the system.”
Once a structure or the layout is identified as unauthorised, notices will be served to the local civic body and coordinating departments for its demolition. If the local body fails to carry out the demolition within seven to ten days, the HMDA itself will demolish the structures. Citizens can track the status of their complaints, the action taken up by HMDA, and, if a case has been filed in court, the status of that case through the online facility.
While the list of unauthorised layouts is available on the HMDA website, Mr Reddy says that once the purification of urban land records commences, in early March, citizens can be better informed. Lake maps showing FTL and buffer zone boundaries, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates superimposed with revenue survey numbers have been prepared by GHMC for 182 lakes and are available on HMDA website.
