GHMC may retain BPS money

Hyderabad, Jan. 16: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is unlikely to refund charges paid by applicants under the Building Penalisation Scheme and will adjust them instead with their penalty and property tax arrears.Over 30,000 applicants failed to take regularisation certificates before the scheme came to an end on December 31, 2010. The government is unwilling to extend the scheme.The civic body has in its kitty nearly `2 crore paid by the 30,000-odd applicants under BPS. In addition to this, the corporation is also hoping to raise another `50 crore through levy of penalties on unauthorised properties.Officials said the revised building rules and provisions of the BPS scheme stipulate levying of penalties on unauthorised constructions.This would include levying of 200 per cent property tax on house owners who failed to take regularisation certificates under BPS.Owners who have failed to obtain occupancy certificates for buildings will be levied a penalty that is four times more than the land value on which the unauthorised building is located.Also, the GHMC can request the Central Discom to collect three times more electricity charges and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to collect double the water supply and sewerage tariff.And all these penalties can be slapped periodically till the owner rectifies the deviations or demolishes the illegal structure, said the GHMC chief city planner, Mr G.V. Raghu.However, the civic body is yet to take a decision on penthouses pending under BPS.

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