Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

BPS clearance hits roadblock

HYDERABAD: GHMC resolve to speedily issue clearance certificates for Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) applicants, at least for a majority of one lakh residential buildings, is unlikely to happen.

Once the High Court gave conditional approval for regularising residential structures (individual and apartments), it is forced to deal with issues like submission of structural stability certificate, old plan papers, fresh revised plans, etc.

All this is delaying the issuance process, acknowledge senior officials.

Though more than 250 structural engineers have been issued licenses to give the stability certificate (details on ghmc.gov.in), applicants are confused on varying rates being demanded.

With Commissioner S.P. Singh issuing stern warning over such certificates being issued without inspecting structures, applicants are scouring around trying to find an “affordable” engineer as fee is varying from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000 and more for a building.

The government was wary of fixing a price lest it be accused of “fleecing” but with many having to pay 50 per cent of the balance penal fee or more, “extra payment” for structural stability certificate has become a matter of concern.

“The engineer demanded Rs. 1,000 per flat and later settled down for Rs. 500,” says S. Subrahmanyam of Motinagar.

Officials have clarified that the certificate should mention the house number, flat numbers and full address. And giving just the apartment name is not enough.

Copies of stability certificates can be submitted by each flat owner of an apartment.

Some applicants have also been shocked to realise that their respective apartments have had no official sanction at all and therefore, forced to pay fee for unauthorised construction too.

“Our builder gave us a fake sanctioned plan and now we have to pay more,” sighed P. V.S. Naidu of Begumpet. Reason why providing a copy of old plan or permission number is being insisted.

If permission was obtained for ground plus one, two or three and an apartment was built illegally, paying basic penalisation charges per flat is enough.

However, for apartments on an extra floor built illegally, penal fee for unauthorised floors have to be paid.

With more licences being issued to structural engineers and with computerisation of applications underway, officials are hopeful of giving faster clearances in the next few days.

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