Expressing concern over the illegal high-rise buildings springing up in the capital and the failure of civic authorities to check them, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities to file their stand on the matter by March 5.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice A. Rajasekhar Reddy gave the direction while hearing three Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petitions on unauthorised structures in the city. The bench sought to know from the GHMC top officials if they were proposing penal action against their staff who failed to check illegal constructions.
“We are amazed to see that GHMC granted a permit for construction of a two-storied building and ultimately the structure grew up to five-storied one,” the bench observed after hearing the content of one of the three petitions. The civic authorities might say that they had issued notices to building owners to explain and were gearing up to demolish the same.
“But, how did the officers and the staff under their command permit such illegal constructions to happen after the second floor right under their nose?” the bench sought to know. The bench observed what action the GHMC top brass would take against the ground staff members who were supposed to stall such illegal constructions, the bench asked.
The Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, had many provisions to impose penalty against officers who failed to discharge their statutory duties and responsibilities. What would the GHMC do with such employees in their service indulging in dereliction of duties, the bench asked.