Green spaces vanish after layouts cleared
Civic rules require every layout to have green spaces
Layouts approved by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) always have the mandatory ‘green space’ marked in the blueprint. However, in reality, this park space is either sold by developers and built upon, or encroached upon.
Civic rules require each layout to have green space, which includes a recreation space, sports club and park.
In 2016, the High Court took serious note of the neglect of this requirement and asked the GHMC to explain why it was not initiating action against offenders who grab park land.
The court also highlighted the government's apathy in developing lung spaces.
A senior officer in the town planning wing of the GHMC explains that private developers get their layout approved by showing that areas have been reserved for parks or gardens. After getting the sanction to build, they violate the layout development rules. They produce fake plot numbers and get approval for building permission.
Such illegal actions are allowed even though inspections on the ground will bring the wrong doing to light. Town planning inspectors are hand-in-glove with developers.
The GHMC has found that park land in layouts in Rajendra Reddy Nagar (19 acres), Chandanagar, and Serilingampally were converted into plots with fake plot numbers and municipal permission for construction.
There was similar encroachment in Rock Town, Dilsukhnagar, where more than two houses have been constructed in space earmarked for a park.
In November 2016, the High Court, hearing a public interest plea, sought an explanation from the GHMC authorities on their action plan.