Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has imposed a Rs 3 lakh penalty on a property owner for constructing unauthorised portions of a building in Hyderabad.
Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Aruna Agarwal, a resident of Alkapur Township in Neknampur Village, Gandipet.
Extra floors built without approval
According to the case, municipal authorities had directed the petitioner to stop construction and remove the unauthorised portions of the building.
The approved building plan permitted a ground floor and two upper floors. However, the petitioner allegedly constructed two additional floors and a penthouse.
The court noted that the unauthorised construction created nearly 8,000 to 10,000 square feet of extra space.
Court raises concern over illegal constructions
During the hearing, to justify the extra space, the petitioner’s counsel said that it was built to accommodate a joint family.
A request was also made to the court to direct the municipal authorities to consider a regularisation application.
During the hearing, the judge observed that illegal constructions have become a major issue in Hyderabad.
The court imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh while directing the municipal authorities to consider the petitioner’s regularisation application.
As per the ruling, Rs 2 lakh will be given to the municipal authorities to provide health benefits to contract sanitary workers and scavengers. The remaining Rs 1 lakh will be paid to the Telangana High Court Advocates Association for the welfare of young lawyers.
