The Telangana High Court has flagged a fraudulent pattern of land subdivision used to bypass building permission rules, calling it a disturbing trend that undermines the state’s self-certification system. Justice B Vijaysen Reddy issued the order while hearing a case involving the misuse of the self-certification route under the TS-bPASS Act of 2020. The court examined a situation where a petitioner applied to build on about 43 square metres, while separate applications for the remaining portions were filed in previous owners’ names, each under 17 square metres. Although civic authorities rejected those follow-up applications, construction on the site continued anyway.
In response, the High Court directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to make it mandatory to prominently display building permissions at all construction sites across the city, including on smaller plots previously exempt. This directive aims to help the public and civic inspectors easily verify valid approvals on the spot.
Officials have been instructed to strengthen inspection and enforcement mechanisms to stop the self-certification process from being exploited for unauthorised buildings. The ruling is expected to prompt closer scrutiny of similar plot-splitting patterns as the GHMC complies with the court’s directions.