High pendency of Prajavani complaints in Town Planning wing of GHMC
The Hindu
During the 17 Prajavani sessions conducted since October 7 last year till January 27 this year, a total 330 complaints had been received pertaining to the Town Planning wing.
Complaints piling up from Prajavani programme are indicative of the apathy of the zonal and circle level officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation with regard to the unauthorised constructions or structures with deviations.
Updating of the action taken report, which is the rudimentary step towards resolution, is pending for over 47% of the complaints received from across the zones, official sources informed.
During the 17 Prajavani sessions conducted since October 7 last year till January 27 this year, a total 330 complaints had been received pertaining to the Town Planning wing, almost all of which were about unauthorised structures and impingements.
Action-taken reports have been updated only for 174 complaints so far, while for 156 complaints, the reports are yet to be updated. Notices have been issued in 93 cases after ground level verification of the violation. Of these, final speaking orders were issued in 64 instances, and special task forces were asked to carry out demolition in 24 cases. Actual demolitions were carried out only in seven cases so far. In 22 instances, the respondents got stay orders from the High Court, against demolition.
A majority of the complaints were received from the three zones which had been part of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad — Khairatabad, Secunderabad and Charminar.
Of the 330 complaints, the highest number of 101 were received from Khairatabad zone, constituting Mehdipatnam, Karwan, Goshamahal, Khairatabad and Jubilee Hills circles. Of these circles, the highest number of infringements were reported from Goshamahal, at 37.
Secunderabad followed Khairatbad with 83 complaints, Musheerabad and Amberpet circles alone accounting for 50 of them. With 64 complaints, Charminar stood third.
Upalokayuktas K.N. Phaneendra and B. Veerappa on Monday conducted an inspection of the Mittaganahalli waste dumping yard, where nearly 380 to 400 garbage trucks unload waste from across Bengaluru everyday. They directed the officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan to resolve the problems aired by the residents living in the vicinity.
While the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) policy of allowing apartments to sell treated sewage water is a new alternative water source, the real challenge lies in the transportation of this water. Apartment complexes with surplus treated water are finding it difficult to sell it as tankers are not available, among other logistical reasons.