The HMDA has been pursuing the owners of illegal plots and buildings in an attempt to fill its coffers. It identified 608 illegal plots and buildings on the first day of the survey. Highly placed sources said there are were 1 lakh illegal plots in HMDA limits alone. The Urban Development Authority hopes to raise Rs 1,000 crore through regularisation of illegal plots under the extended Layout Regularization Scheme alone.
If 608 plots were located in the HMDA Gatkesar zone, the number would go up further as only 25 per cent of the survey of the zone has been completed so far, said HMDA Gatkesar zonal officer Venkateshwarulu. HMDA has three more zones in Medchal, Shankar-pally and Shamsabad to cover. “So far we have surveyed only Keesara, Choutuppal and Boingiri mandals, and we will start soon at the remaining mandals. For the 608 layouts and buildings we will serve notices from Thursday onwards,” he said.
The LRS Scheme got only a lukewarm response and as no applicants were coming forward to get their illegal layout regularised, the planning body decided two months ago to go behind all the illegal plots and buildings in its limits.To begin with, the planning body identified around 150 engineering college buildings that were illegally constructed and sent them notices in June. Though initially, the college managements didn’t respond, the commissioner conducted a special meeting with the managements and gave a mandate, following which all of them fell in line, paying the initial development charges. The planning body is expecting to collect Rs 150 crore from the engineering college managements.