Hyderabad: Despite not providing sewerage network in the peripheral areas of the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has shifted the burden on citizens. The civic body unofficially made it mandatory to have sewerage treatment plants (STPs) for constructing 50 units in an apartment.
The decision will put an additional Rs 1 lakh burden on each flat owner apart from the annual maintenance that they have to shell down. It has also been decided not to issue occupancy certificates to the builders till they construct treatment plants in the apartment premises. Seemingly, this is a unilateral decision as the corporation has not taken prior permission from the state government. It has only been instructions passed orally by GHMC Commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar.
In accordance with the May 2017 directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Municipal Administra-tion and Urban Development (MAUD) department has instructed all municipalities, municipal corporations and urban development authorities not to sanction plans for construction of commercial, industrial and residential buildings measuring over 10,000 square metres unless plans to set up STPs are given. The state government has specifically been given such directions by the tribunal.
The STP should bring sewerage within the prescribed parameters and should also provide a comprehensive system of collection, transportation and disposal of municipal solid waste in line with the solid waste management rules of 2016. Against this backdrop, the civic body insisted on STPs for apartments with more than 100 flats. That apart, hotels, hospitals and nursing homes are also being directed to install STPs.
Highly placed sources in the corporation said that Mr Kumar, in his bid to make a mark, mandated STPs in apartment with 50 flats and reduced the same from 100 units. The builders were asked to construct STPs which can treat three million litres (MLD) to five MLD every day. This is likely to cost around `50 lakh. The builders have been collecting additional amounts from flat owners and asking them to maintain STPs, which entails a burden of `20 lakh annually. Sources wonder why this additional burden when a sewerage network is not in place. The corporation has not learnt lessons from the past where they accorded permission to high-rise buildings in the city, especially in Kukatpally and Serilingampally zones, at its sweet will. This proposal will not lead to traffic congestion but will create water scarcity and unhygienic conditions since most of the areas do not have drinking water and sewerage networks.
Meanwhile, corporation officials are passing the buck on to higher authorities claiming that they were ones who have mandated STPs and according permissions to high-rise buildings.
“Since the implementation of sewerage master plan is expensive and takes a few more years, higher authorities wish to minimise the damage and construct STP in apartments with 50 units,” the source said.
