ACB Finds Building Permit Delays in Serilingampally Circle-49 on March 6 Affecting 21 Homeowners

The ACB found 21 building applications stuck past the 21-day limit. This is a significant increase in administrative delays compared to standard city protocols.
By Newsroom | Government, Telangana |

Serilingampally, Telangana - A surprise inspection by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) at the Serilingampally Circle-49 civic office has brought to light significant delays in processing building permissions and suspicious financial transactions. The March 6 operation, conducted by the ACB’s Rangareddy Range Unit, focused on scrutinizing office records, financial dealings, pending applications, and the general administrative flow.

ACB raid at Serilingampally civic office reveals delays in building permissions and suspicious financial transactions - 1

==The core finding: 21 building permission applications have surpassed the mandated 21-day processing limit, indicating a breakdown in procedural timelines. Further exacerbating concerns, the office is implicated in lax enforcement against unauthorized constructions, a sentiment underscored by the reception of 63 complaints regarding such violations during the same review period. Additionally, the ACB is probing suspicious financial transactions that require deeper investigation. Four related cases are currently pending legal adjudication.==

ACB raid at Serilingampally civic office reveals delays in building permissions and suspicious financial transactions - 2

Officials observed that within the pending applications, 16 are held by the Section Officer, 25 by the Assistant City Planner, and 22 by the Deputy Commissioner, detailing a bureaucratic bottleneck at various levels. In other instances, second notices for violations were not dispatched even after the prescribed period following an initial notification. This suggests a potential pattern of inaction or deliberate neglect in addressing building code infringements.

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ACB raid at Serilingampally civic office reveals delays in building permissions and suspicious financial transactions - 3

The inspection, which reviewed records from December 2 onwards, also highlighted that some unauthorized construction cases have languished for months, and in some instances, over a year, without final orders or enforcement actions. This prolonged stasis raises questions about accountability and the efficacy of regulatory oversight within the Serilingampally civic administration.

The Serilingampally Circle-49 falls under the jurisdiction of the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation. The ACB's operation was initiated following credible information regarding the office's functioning. The scope of the inspection encompassed a broad review of the office's overall operational capacity and adherence to established protocols.

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Meanwhile, separate raids conducted by the ACB across various Sub-Registrar offices in Hyderabad, including areas like Kukatpally, Moosapet, Quthbullapur, and Serilingampally, have exposed a different facet of administrative entanglement. These raids, occurring in November of the previous year, led to the seizure of Rs 2.51 lakh in unaccounted cash. The investigations there pointed to the central role of document writers in alleged corrupt ecosystems, suggesting that property registrations are often facilitated through unofficial channels and bribes. Hundreds of complaints received indicated that citizens face difficulties in processing property registrations without recourse to unofficial payments to both officials and document writers, pointing towards a systemic issue in property dealings. Searches at the homes of 13 sub-registrar officers also yielded cash, jewelry, and property documents that are now under scrutiny.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why did the ACB inspect the Serilingampally Circle-49 civic office on March 6?
The ACB conducted a surprise inspection after receiving reports of slow service and suspicious money handling. They found that 21 building permit applications were stuck past the legal 21-day waiting period.
Q: How many illegal building complaints were found at the Serilingampally office?
Officials identified 63 complaints regarding unauthorized construction that were not properly handled. Some of these cases have been ignored for over a year, causing major delays for the city.
Q: Who is responsible for the delays in building permits at the office?
The investigation found that 16 applications were held by the Section Officer, 25 by the Assistant City Planner, and 22 by the Deputy Commissioner. This shows a breakdown in the office's ability to process paperwork on time.
Q: What happened during the ACB raids at Hyderabad sub-registrar offices?
In November, the ACB seized Rs 2.51 lakh in cash from multiple offices including Serilingampally and Kukatpally. The raids showed that people were often forced to pay bribes to document writers to get their property registrations finished.