Builders say that despite sticking to the approved plan, they have to bribe section officers sitting in the GHMC circle offices and those inspecting the structures.

Hyderabad: The transfer of 15 city assistant city planners and two deputy city planners will not end corruption in the GHMC’s town planning section. It is the on-ground inspectors and section officers who harass builders, citing violation of rules governing deviation, set backs and road margins and extract money.

Every GHMC circle has a town planning wing headed by an assistant city planner, to whom all engineers and section officers report. Builders resist complaining against the officers because that could lead to further delays in permissions. Builder Suman Reddy said the henchmen of corporators identify buildings under construction and demand bribes. If money is not given, they threaten them with consequences during inspections.

Builders say that despite sticking to the approved plan, they have to bribe section officers sitting in the GHMC circle offices and those inspecting the structures.

Builder T. Anil Reddy said that in case a builder is ill-informed about the apartment planning, the section officer easily misleads him saying that the deviations are above the permissible limits and threatens that permission cannot be granted. Th-en they show them the ‘back-door’ procedure.

Many apartments that have more than 10 per cent deviations have been granted permission through these section officers. “Their demand depends on the apartment. It starts at Rs 50,000 and runs into lakhs,” he alleged.

Builders dread officers’ visits

Builders in the city are not saving much from the GHMC’s new online building permission system. While the online system stops graft when submitting the permission application, it does not curb corruption during inspections.

After submission of application, a team visits the site to check for deviation, and that is when the bribe is demanded for the file to be processed. Mr Satish Shankar Rao, an applicant, said, “The online process informs applicants about the documents required and provides the status of the file. There are no reforms in the physical inspection by officers. Builders have to face section officers and meet their demands. Only then will the report be positive.”

GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy said, “ACPs working in various circle offi-ces and certain deputy city planners have been transferred on July 8. All assistant city planners who have completed more than two years at one circle have been transferred to other circles. No officer will be allowed to settle in their positions for long. Applicants harassed by section officers can bring it to the notice of zonal commissioners or complain at the Praja Vani held every Monday at the GHMC head office.”