VMC cracks down on unauthorised constructions

Onlookers were curious to see a brigade from the municipal corporation demolishing the wood centering erected for the construction of the second floor at Bhimanna veedhi in One Town. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials explained that they had demolished the centering as the owner did not have the corporation's permission to construct the second floor.

A couple of weeks ago, the corporation officials demolished the wooden centering erected to construct third floor at a house in Ayodhya Nagar. The officials said that the owner had neither the approval for the third floor nor TDR (Transferable Development Rights) bonds.

These are not isolated cases. VMC has been “crushing the unauthorised constructions” with an iron hand. The corporation is flooded with complaints from people (read neighbours) on deviations or unauthorized constructions. The vigilance department sources say, “VMC is keen on curbing unuathorised constructions.”

The officials are worried that any overlooking of deviations would invite unpleasant report from the vigilance department. During last five months, the corporation officials could have demolished not less than 35 unauthorised constructions or prevented the constructions, sources say.

VMC officials found that most of the violations were being reported in areas including Krishnalanka, Ajithsingh Nagar, One Town, and Kothapeta. In most of the cases, the violations/unauthorised constructions are taking place in plots that are less than 200 square metres (sq.mtrs). They found that the individual house owners had deviated from sanctioned plan in construction of ground floor itself. So, the question of sanctioning plan first or second floor would not arise, officials say.

At least one-fourth of the applications received by the town planning wing pertain to plots less than 200 sq. mtrs. There is a spurt in violations after the government issued GO 168 in April 2012 relaxing the norms for plots less than 200 sq. mtrs.

Earlier, the Government issued GO 450 making it mandatory to mortgage 10 per cent of built-up area to that authority that sanctions building plans. There was drastic fall in number of applications in 2011. Following uproar and representations from various quarters, the government relaxed the norms.