The Hindu 15.04.2010
Cash-starved GHMC makes list of properties
Special Correspondent
| It has several municipal markets, vacant lands leased out to different parties fetching meagre returns |
Preliminary reports indicate there are 249 properties and over eight acres owned by GHMC
There are no proper records about the extent of properties, rents fixed and occupants
HYDERABAD: Only when it was staring down the barrel due to the financial crunch, has the GHMC decided to look afresh at maximising its own properties.
It has several municipal markets and vacant lands leased out to different individuals and organisations fetching meagre returns.
What is worse is that no proper records are being maintained either about the extent of properties, rents fixed or collected, present occupants, etc.
Comprehensive survey
A comprehensive survey of all the properties of the corporation -- shops, markets, open spaces and so on -- has been taken up in the last couple of months to make a correct inventory.
Preliminary reports have indicated that there are 249 properties and little more than eight acres of land owned by the municipal corporation. Twenty-seven have been leased out to non-governmental organisations, 16 to education and health purposes, 106 commercial properties and 100 other structures as quarters.
Some of the property leases or rents have been given since 1965 ranging over periods of nine years, 20 years and 35 years but records have either been missing or are not up to date.
“We do not even have demand collection books to raise fresh notices,” explained Additional Commissioner (Planning, Projects & Estates) K. Dhanunjaya Reddy.
Issue of notices
In several cases, payments were due, contracts have either lapsed, expired, properties have been sub let out illegally to others with the ‘owner' having no clue at all. What the estate wing has been asked to do now besides measuring and gathering information, is to issue notices to all the present occupants of various shops and lands to provide details of the rents being paid and how long they have been using the premises.
Once, the inventory is completed there is a proposal to hike the rentals frozen for several years.
