The Hindu 31.08.2009
GHMC reconstitutes panel for multi-storied buildings
| Chief City Planner to continue as the Convenor |
HYDERABAD: While the GHMC is busy clearing applications filed under Building Penalisation and Layout Regularisation Schemes, Commissioner and Special Officer S.P. Singh has quietly reconstituted the Hyderabad Multi-Storied Building Regulations (MSBR) Committee.
Orders issued in his capacity as also the Ex-officio Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Mr. Singh removed the sole outside expert in the committee i.e. existing chairman of the State chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) as a MSBR member.
Henceforth, the high-powered committee which vets all building applications of above 15 metres high will have GHMC Chief Engineer, HMDA Chief Planning Officer, HMDA’s Director (Planning) or Chief Planning Officer and the Director of Town & Country Planning as members. GHMC’s Chief City Planner will continue to be the Convenor of the now four-member committee.
Incidentally, even last year when the government had re-constituted building committees, it thought it fit to retain IIA’s State Chapter chairman as the member. Mr. Singh has cited “circumstances” in revising the committee membership deleting the architect’s role now.
Sudden development
Official sources said that the sudden reconstitution was triggered following complaint against the current chairman, D.T. Vinod Kumar, that he had attended MSBR meetings from 2006 to 2008 even when he was not the chairman during that time.
An outside expert with architectural knowledge was incorporated into the multi-storied building committees of both erstwhile MCH and HUDA from 1981 onwards for scrutiny of the high rise plans submitted and give recommendations. “It’s sad news for the profession in particular and society in general. The then Director of Town & Country Planning, Venkataramana Reddy incorporated architects into the panel keeping in view the role of architecture in urban development. Otherwise, it will be mere file pushing by the officials concerned,” said a senior architect, a past member of the committee.
Official sources, however, maintain there was enough expertise in the government to deal with even complex technical issues what with the common building rules coming into force. In the same breath, it is also admitted that having an opinion outside the government perspective in scrutinising multi-storied buildings has its uses.
