This story is from January 16, 2017

Tribunal against illegal buildings in deep freeze

The setting up of the much-hyped building tribunal to expedite action against illegal constructions will take longer time than expected.
Tribunal against illegal buildings in deep freeze
(Representative image)
HYDERABAD: The setting up of the much-hyped building tribunal to expedite action against illegal constructions will take longer time than expected.
Though Telangana Assembly passed the Tribunal Bill in last week of December, 2016, it is likely to be functional only in the next fiscal.
Though the tribunal proposal was planned a decade ago, it’s yet to be constituted. Municipal administration minister K T Rama Rao wanted the tribunal to be set up as illegal constructions and haphazard development were a big hurdle to development.

Heavy rains in August-September 2016 left Hyderabad’s arterial roads waterlogged, triggering one of the worst traffic gridlocks in the city’s history and exposed the impact of illegal constructions.
The state government took it up as a prestige issue as illegal constructions and GHMC’s inability to check unauthorised constructions, resulted in negative publicity. Illegal constructions were building pressure on the already over-loaded sewers and storm-water drains.
Officials informed chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that builders moved court to obtain a stay order after being slapped with notices. What’s more, they were continuing with construction during the stay-order period.

While pointing out to repeated failure of GHMC town planning officials in checking illegal constructions and proposing to amend relevant sections of GHMC Act to transfer civic body employees to local bodies elsewhere in the state, the government also decided to set up building tribunal for speedy disposal of cases on unauthorised constructions and check illegal building at the initial stage.
Officials in the municipal, administration said the process to appoint a district-level judge as chairman and other members on the tribunal, taking consent of the Governor and other formalities for it to become operational will take time.
When contacted, municipal administration director S Balakrishna said they have set the process in motion for early setting up of the tribunal.
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