HYDERABAD: The MCH is gearing up to crack down on illegal buildings in the twin cities now that the High Court has made its stand clear on the interim stay orders of lower courts on the matter.

A couple of days ago, the High Court had issued orders barring further construction activity on sites where injunction orders or orders of status quo were passed by the civil courts in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Ranga Reddy district. This decree, senior officials feel, would put a halt to illegal construction activity.

MCH Planning Department is getting its act together for strengthening the enforcement machinery. It has been decided to make the erring builder pay for the cost of demolitions. Though such a rule exists, the corporation has not used it thus far. Cutting sizeable portions of an illegal building especially a multi-storied one is estimated to cost between Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs. Of the 5,000-odd pending cases with the nine civil courts, more than 1,600 were said to have been cleared in the last few months following a High Court direction for an expeditious disposal of injunction suits in which MCH or HUDA was a defendant.

Comprehensive list

The civic body has made a list of building violations and the focus would be on large-scale deviations from sanctioned plans like constructing an illegal floor or a penthouse in a multi-storied building. Cellar space violations too are to be viewed seriously.

MCH Additional Commissioner (Planning & Projects) K. Dhananjaya Reddy while affirming that the corporation was going to take all steps to implement the High Court orders also pointed out that they are already removing illegal structures in cellars.

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