GHMC wobbles on layout deviation, bad coordination

HYDERABAD: The CAG report on local bodies for 2016-17 exposed several shortcomings in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
The GHMC’s town planning wing came in for much criticism with the audit report pointing out that this department did not take any action against constructions deviating from prescribed building permission norms. The CAG report said during 2012-17, deviations were found in 30,864 assessments, which constitute 41% of the total 75,387 property tax assessments.Of the total, 10,460 were unauthorised constructions.
Pointing to the lack of coordination between town planning and revenue departments, the audit observed that there was no arrangement of forwarding building permission with approved building plan to revenue department. The CAG report said there was no improvement in the pending building permissions even after Development Permission Management System was introduced.
The report has also rapped sanitation department for not ensuring 100% waste segregation. With respect waterlogging, the CAG recommended GHMC remove encroachments on storm water drains. According to GHMC, they are cracking down on such encroachments. “The civic body has pulled down 490 encroachments this year and last year we razed 1,064 encroachments,” said GHMC chief city planner S Devender Reddy.
The CAG report also slammed GHMC for improper house numbering and not paying remittance of property cess for development of city libraries.