Not just Swarna Bharath, 17 organisations, including trusts, NGOs, housing cooperative societies, and religious organisations, have been given exemption from various charges payable to urban local bodies and metropolitan authorities, since 2008.
Four among them, namely Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, National Investigating Agency (NIA), Khanamet, AP Secretariat Employees Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Limited, and A.P. Cine Workers Cooperative Housing Society Limited were waived amounts over and above ₹ 1 crore.
The details were shared by Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Navin Mittal, in response to the story titled ‘Secret order exempts trust from development charges’ published on Saturday.
While not denying the exemption of development and other charges to the tune of over ₹2.2 crore to Swarna Bharat Trust run by Union Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu’s daughter Deepa Venkat, Mr.Mittal said similar exemptions and concessions were granted to other organisations too previously, “on case to case basis, based on merits in each case”.
Of these, the exemption granted to Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital with regard to payment of building penalisation charges to GHMC, was close to ₹5.73 crore. The exemption was applied for in 2008, but granted only in 2016 after Telangana government came to power.
The NIA facility got exemption of over ₹1.01 crore in 2016.
In case of the secretariat employees’ housing society, 50 per cent exemption was granted from development and other charges, and for the cine workers cooperative housing society, 25 per cent from the impact fee and value addition charges recalculated after the revised common building rules.
Further, Mr.Mittal has clarified that the order was not kept secret, but communicated to all concerned. As to the order not being made public on the State’s online portal, he said whatever procedure was being followed in respect of all other GOs issued by the MA&UD department is also followed in this case.
In future, if the Trust puts the buildings for commercial purpose, the HMDA will have every right to impose conversion charges, he said, through a press note on Saturday.