Hyderabad, March 21: Despite the Andhra Pradesh High Court giving clear directions to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to protect open spaces in an area layout, little action has been initiated to protect them.
In several localities, especially in LB Nagar circle-3 open spaces like parks have been either shrinking or going missing completely. Various colony associations have brought the issue to notice of officials but to no avail.
Presently, officials are permitting construction in the given land by levying 14 per cent penalty if for any reason open space is missing from the layout. If the developer does not leave an open space, the plot owners are made to pay the penalty for construction. CPM leaders in a memorandum to GHMC commissioner Sameer Sharma reminded the court had clearly stated in an order (23735/2002) that once a developer marks an area in a layout as open space, then the developer has no right over the said land. Besides, the court also said protecting open spaces in every layout is responsibility of the GHMC. They said action should be initiated on land grabbers.
“The Green Estate Colony in Kharmanghat has HUDA-approved layout since 26 years. But the park land of about 1100 sq yards has disappeared and the person who occupied the land also applied for regularising the land. Despite the issue being brought to notice of GHMC officials, no action was taken,” Federation of Association of Colonies and Apartments (FACA) member S Ravindra Sharma said. He added that members of a minority party have allegedly threatened office-bearers, Tayyaba Afanddi and Bal Reddy with dire consequences, if they continued to raise hue and cry about the issue. Judges Colony and Vijayasri Colony in Mansoorabad have nine open plots which the court directed GHMC officials to protect. But locals allege that despite the order, four open spaces are under the threat of encroachment.
–Agencies