High Court directs Hyderabad civic bodies to display building permissions at sites

The High Court has directed the Commissioners of the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations to ensure that building permissions granted to property owners are put up prominently at construction sites.

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy issued the direction while hearing a writ petition concerning construction without permission at Siddiamber Bazaar in Hyderabad, where owners were said to have later applied for regularisation.

The judge asked the commissioners to instruct their deputy commissioners and town planning officers to display the permissions at the sites concerned. Where such permissions are not displayed, the authorities have been told to temporarily halt the ongoing construction.

The court also made clear that owners of plots measuring less than 75 square yards, which do not require building permission, must display their provisional certificate of registration at the construction site.

Officials have been directed to visit all under-construction sites in Siddiamber Bazaar, Begum Bazaar and other parts of the city to verify whether the work complies with the permissions granted. The judge ordered that any construction deviating from sanctioned plans be stopped immediately.

The authorities were further instructed to ensure that owners of plots larger than 75 square yards do not misuse the self-certification facility available under the Special Act.