Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) R.V.Karnan has issued a watertight protocol for sealing the unauthorised structures identified in the city by GHMC officials.
The standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the GHMC Commissioner clarifies that only a higher authority than the sealing officer can unseal a property. For instance, if a Deputy Commissioner seals a building, only the Zonal Commissioner can reopen it. Similarly, if a Zonal Commissioner seals a property, only the GHMC Commissioner has the authority to remove the seal.
The SOP, outlined in an official circular, specifies two scenarios under the TG-bPASS Act, 2020, in which properties may be sealed: one, if false information or misrepresentation is used to obtain building permission; and two, if construction is carried out without permission or in deviation of sanctioned plans.
The circular also references the Supreme Court’s December 2024 guidelines on demolishing unauthorised constructions, along with recent Telangana High Court directions mandating the sealing of additional floors if builders proceed with construction despite being served a show-cause notice. It further reinforces the GHMC Commissioner’s authority to seal such premises under the GHMC Act, 1955.
