With the state government making the Occupancy Certificate mandatory for issuing electricity and water connections, hundreds of house owners are now rushing to the civic body seeking OCs. Officials claim the OC clause will ensure that building rules are less violated, since the Greater Hyderabad Muni-cipal Corporation issues an OC only if the building is constructed as per the sanctioned plan, but the citizens allege that it will only lead to more corruption in the town planning department, as OC is obtained only after greasing palms.
“Earlier, some of the town planning field staff used to visit construction sites at the time of laying the foundation and construction of slabs, and used to take money. Now, we have to bribe officials even after the construction is complete, to get an OC,” said a mason, who constructs independent houses for sale.
As many as 1,501 house owners have applied for OCs in the last month alone. Scrutiny of applications revealed that the permission for construction of these houses were taken during 2010-2011. Of the total, town planning officials have issued OCs to 1,254 house owners, rejected or returned the applications to as many as 171 house owners for various reasons, levied penalty for violations within permissible limits in 12 cases and another 64 in are in process of being inspected.
Although the OC clause was made mandatory via GO 86 in 2006 itself, not many came forward to apply for OCs from GHMC until the Water Board and also the Central Discom refused water and electricity connections to applicants until they submitted the OC. The GHMC has issued over 15,000 building construction permissions in the last three years. Going by this figure, applications submitted to the civic body seeking OCs amount to just 10 per cent.