Hyderabad Mayor makes a Surprise Visit at GHMC Call Centre

Hyderabad Mayor makes a Surprise Visit at GHMC Call Centre

Hyderabad Mayor made a surprise visit to the GHMC Call Centre at City Managers Training Institute (CMTI) on Road No. 12 in Banjara Hills in the city on Saturday, 18-May-2103, Mayor M Majid Hussain was shocked to see the status of the grievances and complaints lodged by citizens of Hyderabad.

Hussain, who had received complaints from  citizens that their complaints were not addressed, visited the call centre and made a random check of the status of complaints  on the computer which showed that all the complaints received were addressed by ground level GHMC staff. Based on the status, he personally telephoned and interacted with around 50 citizens who made complaints on civic matters such as non- glowing of street lights, sanitation, lifting of debris, trade licences, property tax and unauthorized constructions. He was shocked to learn that of the 50-odd people he spoke with, 99 per cent said their complaints were not addressed at all. He warned the ground-level officers that such lapses would not be tolerated.  The call centre was opened six months ago.

He said he would visit the centre every 10 days and if the functioning did not improve he would take severe action against negligent officials. He directed the call centre officials to submit a detailed report by Sunday on the complaints received and attended to right from the inception of the call centre and to furnish all details about the action taken and pending grievances. He also wanted the system linked to the mayor’s office so that he ccould personally monitor the functioning of the call centre. 

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GHMC to acquire land for Hyderabad Metro Rail at a faster pace

GHMC to acquire land for Hyderabad Metro Rail at a faster pace

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to acquire land at a faster pace on the three corridors of the L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail Project.

Barring two or three stretches like Sultan Bazar-Badi Chowdi and Ameerpet-Greenlands, Yousufguda and Krishnanagar, the GHMC proposes to complete land acquisition for road widening in the next three months for which 200 crore will be required.

GHMC Additional Commissioner (Planning) K Dhananjaya Reddy said a time frame has been fixed to complete the process. Nearly 60 percent of the land acquisition on Corridor 1 : Miyapur to LB Nagar (29 km), Corridor 2 : Jubilee Bus Stand to Falaknuma (15 km) and Corridor 3 : Nagole to Shilparamam (28 km) has been completed and for the remaining, the GHMC will negotiate with the property owners.

He said some 400 owners whose properties are going to be affected have approached the High Court and the GHMC is making efforts to get through the judicial process at the earliest.

Giving details of the land acquisition on the three metro corridors, Dhananjaya Reddy said that on Corridor-1, Miyapur to L B Nagar, 184 awards will be issued and properties would be taken over by this month-end. On the Moosapet-Bharatnagar stretch, awards for about 26 properties have been issued and they will be acquired by next week.

From Erragadda to Punjagutta road, the corporation has identified nearly 55 properties which could be acquired either through negotiations or by invoking the land acquisition clause.

Between Punjagutta and Lakdi-ka-pul stretch, GHMC has decided to acquire 27 properties. From Public Gardens to Nampally X Road, 79 properties have been identified and of them, 13 have agreed to part with their land.

Source: New Indian Express

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/GHMC-to-speed-up-acquisition-of-land-for-city-Metro-Rail-project/2013/05/18/article1595326.ece

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Green Mosque Land at Banjara Hills to be acquired for Road Widening

Green Mosque Land at Banjara Hills to be acquired for Road Widening

Motorists can expect a smooth ride on Road Number 2, Banjara Hills, as a major bottleneck near the Green Mosque will be removed soon. With the chief minister giving the nod, civic officials are preparing notices to acquire a portion of the mosque land for widening the road. 

After several futile attempts to take over a portion of the Green Mosque land for expansion of the road, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials will invoke the Land Acquisition Act and acquire 749 square yards of the 2,000 square yard (1,360 sq metres) mosque property. 

Official sources said notices have been prepared by the GHMC's town planning wing and would be served on the mosque committee in a week's time. If the acquisition is completed, the mosque might lose about 749 sq yards, but it would provide a major relief to lakhs of road-users. 

Unlike other private property owners, the mosque committee will not get any compensation for the land it might be losing as the place of worship came up on government land.

Source: Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Green-Mosque-land-to-be-acquired-for-road-widening/articleshow/19924079.cms

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GHMC and Property Related Questions and Answers

GHMC and Property Related Questions and Answers


I bought a flat in Lingampally in 2011. It was one of those flats mortgaged to GHMC, which is released later after the evaluation of the building plan by GHMC on project completion. I heard that for these flats you need not pay service tax or VAT. Is this true? I have to register the property as the builder has received NOC and I have to settle all pending issues.
From: Satyajit Sakhardande, Hyderabad

If you have purchased the flat which was under construction (in a complex with more than 12 numbers of units), both VAT and Service Tax shall be applicable, irrespective of whether the property was mortgaged to GHMC.


My daughter and her husband took a home loan of Rs. 47 lakh from HDFC Bank for a jointly held flat at Bangalore. Can the interest amount be claimed as deduction for both individuals at a ceiling of Rs.1.50 lakh each, as the accrued interest for the current FY is Rs. 3.78 lakh or at Rs. 0.75 lakh each at the maximum? The interest for the next year will be more than Rs. 4.8 lakh. Please clarify.
From C.A. Thomas, Chennai

Your daughter and son-in-law both can claim deduction up to Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum separately towards the interest paid on the home loan availed, provided the property under finance is self-occupied. They can also claim deduction up to Rs. 1 lakh per annum separately towards principal loan amount repaid, along with specified contributions to PF, life insurance premiums paid etc.


My father has sold a house built in 1978 and has immediately purchased a new flat in October 2012 within a gap of two months. The original cost of construction of the house was about Rs. 95,000 and the selling cost of the house is Rs.1.3 crore. The flat cost is Rs. 75 lakh. The flat was furnished at a cost of Rs. 8 lakh. Please clarify the capital gains payable.

From Sudhakar, on e-mail

The Capital Gains will have to be computed after considering the indexed value of the acquisition cost and after deducting allowable expenses (such as repairs, upgradation costs, legal charges etc.). Please approach a Chartered Accountant for computing the exact capital gains applicable in your case.


Source: The Hindu


http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/home-finance/ask-us/article4679876.ece

Property-related financial queries answered by R.P. Deshpande, Director, Institute of Home Finance to The Hindu

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15 Fire Stations in Hyderabad in GHMC Limits for 80 Lac Population

15 Fire Stations in Hyderabad in GHMC Limits for 80 Lac Population

Greater Hyderabad requires no less than 175 fire stations, considering the 80 lakh population, but there are only 15 fire stations in the GHMC limits. | EPS

Fire mishaps have now become a common sight in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and the State government seems to be least worried.

This is being vulnerably exposed when it comes to dealing with fire accidents. According to the guidelines of Standing Fire Advisory Council, there should be one fire station for every 50,000 population or in a 10 sq km area.

Currently, the GHMC is spread over 625 sq km, with a population of about 80 lakh as per the 2011 Census, covering revenue mandals of Hyderabad and parts of Rangareddy and Medak districts. This clearly indicates that the Greater Hyderabad city requires no less than 175 fire stations.

Unfortunately, there is just one fire station for 3.65 lakh people and 41 sq km area approximately in the GHMC limits, as against the Council guidelines of one fire station for a population of 50,000 or in 10 sq.km area.

Fire Wing officials of GHMC confessed to City Express that the city does not have adequate fire stations. To meet the requirement of 80 lakh population, only 15 fire stations are functioning in the GHMC limits. They include Gowliguda, Malakpet, Chandulal Baradari, Moghalpura, Musheerabad, Moulali, Sanathagar, Secretariat, Punjagutta, Langer House, Habsiguda, Uppal, Patancheru, Chanchalguda, Malkajgiri and SP Road in Secunderabad.

However, another five fire stations have been proposed at Andhra Pradesh High Court, State Legislative Assembly, Salar Jung Museum, Kukatpally and Madhapur.

With the population of the city increasing at a fast pace, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services has brought to the notice of the State government the need to establish at least 20 to 25 new fire stations in the GHMC limits so that the fire emergencies can be rushed to in just a matter of minutes, thus minimising the loss of lives and properties, they said.

The department is preparing a plan for fire hazard response and mitigation for ‘Million Plus City’Hyderabad 2013 – 2014, and said that the XIII Finance Commission envisages that all the municipal corporations with a population of more than one million must put in place a fire hazard response and mitigation plan in their jurisdiction.

To that effect, the State government has sanctioned Rs 12.55 crore as fire service component under non recurring expenditure. The amount will be utilised by procuring flood de-watering pumps, monsoon management equipment, turn table ladders, water mist technology vehicles and fire proximity suits and others.

Source: New Indian Express
http://newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Only-15-fire-stations-for-80-lakh-people/2013/05/03/article1572220.ece

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