Unauthorised structures abound in all the nooks of the city, but action on part of the GHMC is wanting, notwithstanding the buzz over the overhaul of the enforcement side through constitution of zonal level task forces.
Telangana Municipal Building Tribunal, the express objective of which is dealing with all town planning, enforcement and building issues, has been defunct for the last six years, owing to vacant chairperson and member posts.
The tribunal was constituted by an amendment to the GHMC Act passed by the State Legislative Assembly in the year 2016. Rules pertaining to the tribunal were framed the next year. However, appointment of the chairperson and eight members has not taken place till now.
Repeated appeals for filling in the posts, by the civil society organisations such as Forum for Good Governance (FGG), have fallen on deaf ears.
FGG has addressed a fresh appeal to the Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday, requesting her to intervene and issue directions to the Chief Secretary to take necessary action for appointment of chairperson and members to the tribunal.
The Forum noted that unauthorised constructions are seriously affecting the planned development of the cities, and causing problems to people. Whenever notices are issued to the violators, they approach courts and get stay/injunction orders holding off further action.
After getting a favourable stay, they go ahead with the construction and complete it, resulting in serious problems to citizens, the forum said.
The buildings are also being sold, creating trouble for the purchasers.
Such unplanned growth is causing severe constraints to the civic authorities, in providing amenities such as roads, drinking water, sewage connections and waste disposal, the letter to the governor noted.
Most of these structures are regularised at a later date, leaving people to suffer the consequences of the haphazard growth.
Rule 27(b) of Building Rules, 2012 empowers the State government to constitute a Town Planning and Building Tribunal, and the High Court, in its order of 2015, directed the government towards the same, consequent to which the government amended the GHMC Act for the tribunal.
Despite repeated representations, the stock reply of the Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Department is that the issue is under active consideration of the government, the FGG said in its appeal, requesting the Governor to pass the orders.
