In the wake of merging 51 villages with neighboring municipalities in Hyderabad, there has been a notable rise in unauthorized building permits issued by panchayat officials, who continued using the e-Panchayat website despite the merger. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority is responsible for permits for structures with three or more floors, but panchayats bypassed established procedures. In response, the municipal administration department has directed residents to use the TG-bPASS (Telangana Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System) website for all building permits. District panchayat officials have sealed records while awaiting further instructions on the demerger process.
Following the recent integration of 51 villages with the neighboring municipalities within the Outer Ring Road limits, a surge in unauthorized building permissions and the rapid issuance of house numbers for non-existent structures has occurred. Reports indicate that the primary culprits behind this surge are officials from the newly merged gram panchayats, who have been reportedly issuing these permissions with impunity. On the very day the state government announced the merger, thousands of such permissions were granted across the 51 villages. The lack of coordination between municipal administration and panchayat raj departments has further worsened the chaotic situation.
As reported by ET Realty, in a recent incident, staff from Keesara panchayat were caught in the act of issuing building permissions and assigning house numbers. According to sources, they continued their activities until 10 p.m. on the night of the merger notification, rapidly processing permissions. The urgency was due to their awareness that once a panchayat is integrated with a municipality, its powers transfer to the municipality, leaving the panchayat with no authority, a source explained. The Medchal district collector has initiated an inquiry into the permissions granted by Keesara panchayat during this period.Earlier this week, the state government released a gazetted notification, facilitating the merger of 51 villages with 13 municipalities as part of its initiative to expand the city corporation.
Despite the merger, the panchayats' website for issuing permissions was not deactivated, and no directives were provided to the panchayat secretaries to halt file processing or transfer their documents to the municipalities. Official sources indicated that the panchayat raj department has yet to issue a notification for the removal of villages from its jurisdiction, even though the municipal administration has already issued the merger notification.
For clarity and to prevent confusion, both notifications should ideally be released simultaneously, according to an official. "Gram panchayats are authorized to issue building permissions for up to ground plus two floors for residential purposes," the official added.
For structures exceeding three floors, permissions are typically granted by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. However, the e-Panchayat website remained operational for two days, during which panchayats continued to issue building permits without verifying documents or conducting site inspections. A senior official reported that the panchayats were working late into the night to process applications and issue permits. Recognizing the escalating issue, district panchayat officials have sealed the panchayat records but are still awaiting instructions from the panchayat raj secretary regarding the de-merger process.
Surprised by the 'overzealous' actions of the panchayat officials, the municipal administration department issued a statement urging the public to apply for building permits via the TG-bPASS (Telangana Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System) website. The statement emphasized that all building permissions within the municipalities are processed and issued through the TG-bPASS platform.
In conclusion, the recent surge in unauthorized building permits highlights the challenges in managing the transition following the merger of villages with municipalities. The unregulated issuance of permits by panchayat officials underscores the need for improved coordination and updated procedural safeguards. The shift to the TG-bPASS website for permit applications represents a crucial step in streamlining the approval process and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. As authorities await further directives on the de-merger, it is imperative to reinforce oversight mechanisms to prevent similar issues in the future and ensure a smooth integration process.
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