The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : HUDA may retain development control

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

HUDA may retain development control

M. L. Melly Maitreyi

It has given total delegation of powers only to municipal corporation area

HYDERABAD: Though the 12 surrounding municipalities have merged under Greater Hyderabad, HUDA, for the time being, is likely to retain development control powers in these areas.

After the notification for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was issued on Monday, the immediate concern was who would exercise powers for sanctioning building and layout permissions in the surrounding municipalities.

HUDA had given total delegation of powers only to the municipal corporation area while it had development control power with regard to 12 municipalities. With the Greater Hyderabad area increasing from 170 sq. km. to 625 sq. km., there is speculation whether `total delegation of powers' would automatically become applicable to the newly added areas along with city core area.

However, the total delegation of powers to the municipalities now part of Greater Hyderabad with immediate effect would affect the HUDA revenue and the projects already launched by the authority, it is said. HUDA gets significant revenue through building permissions and layout approvals in the surrounding municipalities besides development charges.

In view of this, HUDA authorities would represent to the Government for maintaining status quo in the transition period of one year for retaining development control and for building permissions and layout approvals in the 12 municipal areas while Greater Hyderabad would get property tax and other taxes from the municipalities under its purview.

Notification

With the notification on Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation issued, it is only matter of time for the notification enhancing the area under Hyderabad Urban Development Authority.

Though HUDA area would also increase three-fold, it would take some time for it to generate revenue from the new areas after identifying the Government lands in the new area and taking up infrastructure projects and roads for development of those areas.

As part of area enhancement, HUDA would also undergo structural changes to become Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. But the thinking is that notification for enhancement of HUDA area would be issued first. As the area under the HMDA would increase from the present 2,000 sq. km. to 6,500 sq. km., with 54 mandals of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts, the actual procedure of bringing these under the HMDA purview would take time. Once these areas were demarcated, notification for the structural changes to pave way for the HMDA would be issued, it is said.

Meanwhile, the new master plan for 2020 had been submitted to the Government for final approval. When the HUDA area would be enhanced, a consultant would be appointed to prepare broad zonal development plans for the new areas.

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