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General Administration

Huge Penalties on Unauthorised Structures

Friday, 20 December 2013 06:59 administrator
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The New Indian Express             20.12.2013 

Huge Penalties on Unauthorised Structures

With the clarification by the municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) on a few issues raised by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) relating to penalties on property tax, the property tax collections are bound to swell and fill the coffers of corporation through levying huge penalties on unauthorised and deviated constructions.

In Greater Hyderabad limits, there are large numbers of building owners who have unauthorisedly constructed additional floors without permission and many deviated in construction against the sanctioned plan. 

If GHMC finds unauthorised floors over the permitted floor in a sanctioned plan, it would levy 100 per cent penalty on the full structure (entire building). In case of unauthorised floors with or without occupancy certificate, penalty will be imposed as per the Act.

If the owner has raised further structures unauthorisedly after issuing the occupancy certificate, the MAUD clarified that in respect of unauthorised constructions raised after obtaining the OC such portion of unauthorised construction should be treated as total unauthorised construction at the rate of 100 per cent of property tax.

 

Palike to take possession of unclaimed OFCs in City

Friday, 20 December 2013 06:32 administrator
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Deccan Herald             20.12.2013 

Palike to take possession of unclaimed OFCs in City

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has warned the telecom firms that it will take possession of unauthorised Optical Fibre Cables (OFCs) laid in the City if they do not declare ownership and pay the regularisation fee before Saturday. DH Photo.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has warned the telecom firms that it will take possession of unauthorised Optical Fibre Cables (OFCs) laid in the City if they do not declare ownership and pay the regularisation fee before Saturday.

Addressing reporters, N R Ramesh, who heads the BBMP’s panel on OFCs said many telecom firms have agreed to declare the unauthorised cables laid in the City and pay the regularisation fee before Saturday. Taking their declaration into account, BBMP will claim ownership over the undeclared cables and would auction it to other telecom firms.

Yediyur corporator Ramesh said: “There are about 65,000 km OFCs laid in the City but the telecom firms have disclosed ownership of 7,467 km cables. We have data about the total OFC ducts in the City. If the telecom companies don’t own the rest of the OFCs, we will claim rights over them.”

Ground rent

The corporator said the service providers have agreed to pay Rs 850 per metre as ground rent including regularisation fee. The regularisation of the OFC would fetch at least Rs 400 crore to the BBMP, said Ramesh.

In order to check unauthorised OFCs in the City, the BBMP would accept applications only through online system. 

This will enable the BBMP to review computerised applications and grant permission accordingly. It will also help the BBMP identify where unauthorised cables and ducts are laid afresh and would prevent digging roads without permission for laying OFCs. With the introduction of new system, the telecom firms will be responsible for restoring roads if they dig up to lay cables.

Overhead cables

Ramesh said BBMP commissioner M Lakshminarayana has directed the internet service providers to remove all the overhead cables from the City before January 1, or else the Palike would disconnect them.

The Palike has given temporary relief to the television cable operators who too will have to make some alternative arrangements at the earliest.

 

75 per cent of City buildings illegal

Friday, 20 December 2013 06:29 administrator
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Deccan Herald             20.12.2013 

75 per cent of City buildings illegal

People parking their vehicles on the roadside is a common sight in the City.

Parking on roadsides has become a huge menace in the City. But this problem would not have become so gigantic, had the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials taken note of buildings violating the norms.

There are 15 lakh buildings in Bangalore that have violated the parking norms. This number has been revealed by an internal assessment conducted by BBMP’s Town Planning Department. Officials in the department point that there are only five lakh buildings in Bangalore that have followed norms, of the total of 20 lakh buildings approved by BBMP.

A BBMP official on condition of anonymity told Deccan Herald, “if we go by the law, then these buildings need to be demolished as they are illegal structures. But we cannot do so because of varied reasons. This problem has led to the parking menace in the City.”

Under Chapter 8 of the Zoning Rules for Bangalore City, providing parking space is mandatory. The builder should provide parking space in the building and it can be any floor of their premises. No permission for construction can be given if the builder does not show provision for parking in the design plan. Further, in case if they have a cellar, that should be used as parking space. In the absence of a cellar, then any floor can be used as parking space by providing adequate passage ways. 

But this rule remains only on paper. Most buildings in Bangalore do not provide parking space. There are instances where we (the BBMP) have included parking slots in the plan before giving approval. But when building has been constructed, parking slot is absent. BBMP officials are also equally responsible for this violation,” the official pointed.

BBMP Commissioner N Lakshminarayan told Deccan Herald that he was aware of this problem but his priority now is to get the parking policy implemented.

 “Once the parking policy is implemented, many problems will be solved. So far, no drives have been conducted or thought of to raze such structures.”

Prof M N Sreehari, advisor to the State government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure, questioned how BBMP issued occupancy certificates to builders when there is no provision for parking. 

Further, BBMP has an account of only those buildings that generate tax, there is no account of other structures. Now, if they want to implement the parking policy, then this is just a gimmick. They should change the building bylaws first, which will solve most of the problems, he added.

 
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