Hyderabad : The papers that matter for construction of house

The Hindu : Property Plus Hyderabad : The papers that matter


Building a house is a dream that could turn into a nightmare much before you savour the wonderful experience of living in it. That is if you are not well versed with the paper work that goes with it.

Since there is no single agency or single window for taking the necessary permissions, there is invariably some running to do around different Government offices that could well test your patience and resolve. So cumbersome are procedures and the red tape involved is really long.

13 sets of documents


Let us look at the example of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad and what it takes to obtain a building permission from it. There are 13 different sets of papers required before you can think of starting construction. For houses to be constructed in an area below 100 sq. yards, no permission is required in an approved layout though the plan details have to be filed.

For constructions below 10 metres in height and below 1,000 sq.m, all permissions have to be obtained at the respective MCH circle office. For multi-storied complexes, apartments and others with more than 10 mts height and above 1,000 sq.mts, the applications have to be filed at the head office.

Tax receipts


While applying for permission, you have to ensure that you are ready with your property tax receipts. It is only then that other factors come into play. Next, obtain `no objection certificate' (NOC) from the mandal revenue officer concerned in lieu of the town survey record certificate. Building plan applications should be signed by the owner, architect and the engineer.

Then, there are declaration forms signed by the owner and attested by a gazetted officer, the licence copy of the architect or engineer involved in the work, an Urban Land Ceiling Act affidavit for constructions below 1,000 sq.mts, two sets of ownership documents attested by a gazetted officer and property linked documents attested by a gazetted officer.

A non-judicial stamp paper of Rs. 20, undertaking Rs. 100 non-judicial stamp paper duly stating whether the construction is taken up by the owner and of course, building plans signed by the owner, architect and the structural engineer are necessary.

Another joint undertaking on Rs. 100 non-judicial stamp paper promising not to stock building materials on road margins, not to enclose balconies, usage of parking, payment of special payment charges, not to increase number of units and special sanitation charges is also need. There are a slew of fees to be paid like development charges, betterment charges for unapproved layouts, permit fees as per category - residential or commercial, etc.

NOC and clearance


For multi-storied buildings and constructions above 10 mts of height, other permissions have to be taken and 10 more sets of documents to be filed. These include no objection certificate from the Joint Collector, land use certificate from Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA), feasibility certificate from Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) and NOC from Airport Authority of India, if applicable.

Certificates of urban land clearance, structural stability, soil testing report; structural drawings, etc should also be filed. Even if an existing old property is to be demolished and re-constructed or any modifications are to be done different from the previously sanctioned plan, fresh applications have to be made, according to P.A.S.M. Laxman Rao, City Planner.

Once the plans are submitted, the supervisor concerned in case of the circle office will visit the site within a couple of days followed by a committee consisting of the Zonal Additional Commissioner, Deputy Municipal Commissioner and the Assistant City Planner.

In the head office, for high rises, there is a separate building committee consisting of Chief City Planner, Director of Town Planning, Institute of Architects association representative, Chief Engineers of HUDA & MCH and others. Going by rules, permissions have to be given in 15 days at the respective circle offices and within 45 days at head office.

Yet, it is common knowledge that it can take much more time than that. If officials at the circle level are invariably super busy to complete the inspection and clearance tasks, at the head office, no one is sure when the high rise building panel meets as its meetings have been more often than now irregular.

While there were plans to make the citizen charter effective and deemed permissions are supposedly the norm, it is not that simple to take up constructions without the official stamp of MCH. All the pain, of course, appears worth the effort when there is an elation of moving into the own house.

"All the procedures sure does cause much stress and strain not to speak of putting a big hole in the pocket. Therefore, the feeling on getting the final nod is akin to a student getting a visa for United States or getting a daughter's marriage fixed," is the pithy comment of an architect, well versed with the municipal ways.