Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) focus is back on the Occupancy Certificates (OCs). After it was jolted into taking action against a mall in Himayatnagar operating without such a certificate following a public complaint, there are now plans to crack down against such commercial complexes including sealing them.
Obtaining OCs has been made mandatory ever since the common building rules (GO 86) had come into effect in 2007. Buildings, residential or commercial, can be occupied only after an OC is issued indicating that the structure was built as per the sanctioned plan with no deviations like extra floors, setbacks and parking space violation. However, such certificates can be issued for minor deviations on a penal payment per sq.ft.
Fact also is the municipal corporation did not bother to implement the rule strictly so far. The town planning wing in a recent survey has identified about 350 commercial complexes which had taken permission ever since the common building rules began to be enforced with a 10 per cent mortgage clause in all the 18 circles.
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Constructions of most complexes which must have obtained permission in 2008 have been completed. And not surprisingly, it has realised that only 36 of these commercial properties have taken the pains to obtain the occupancy certificate.
There are about 23 complexes which have opened and began running commercial establishments without even applying for the certificate.
The survey has also revealed that there are eight others which had taken the OC but later on went on to build illegal floors, said Additional Commissioner (Planning) K. Dhananjaya Reddy.
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“We are getting ready to issue notices to them and even seal them,” he warned.