Date:26/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/26/stories/2008042658840300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Court order to help clear building plans in SCB

About 14,000 households in 140 colonies expected to benefit from the order

SCB withholds 650 building plans for one year
Developers evade giving gift deeds to SCB

HYDERABAD: Whether they are really excited about elections scheduled to be held next month to the eight civilian wards or not, many citizens of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) now have a reason to cheer.

A recent order by the High Court has paved the way for clearing all the new and pending building plans.

About 14,000 households living in 140 colonies of the 300-odd colonies are expected to benefit from the order as the SCB authorities had withheld at least 650 building plans for the past one year.

It was because layout developers evaded presenting gift deeds to SCB allotting open space for development of internal roads and parks.

As per the official procedure, layout developers on release of the provisional plans have to submit a gift deed to SCB allotting 40 per cent of land for development of public spaces. It has to be done before constructions are taken up.

Variation for approval

There is a variation for layout approval within HUDA limits where after a draft layout plan is obtained, the final layout is released only after the developer builds roads and other civic infrastructure. In the Cantonment, what has happened over the years is that layout developers were selling away plots including park lands and doing the vanishing trick without bothering about submitting gift deeds to the SCB.

Till recently, authorities were releasing building plans without insisting on gift deed but the present administration, with a resolve to improve civic amenities, decided to put a stop to the practice. It withheld releasing plans for constructing apartments or even extra floors of independent houses forcing some parties to approach the High Court.

Court ruling

The High Court has elucidated that notified public spaces are deemed to be Government or the designated local body’s once the layout plan is released and there was no need for a separate gift deed to be given, paving the way for release of plans. The SCB Chief Executive Officer, V. Premchand, said the Board was bound to follow court orders.