GHMC issues detailed SoP for sealing of unauthorised premises

The Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), R.V. Karnan, has established a comprehensive protocol for sealing unauthorized structures identified within the city by GHMC officials.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the GHMC Commissioner specifies that only an authority higher than the sealing officer is permitted to unseal a property. For example, if a Deputy Commissioner seals a building, only the Zonal Commissioner has the authority to reopen it.

Likewise, if a Zonal Commissioner seals a property, only the GHMC Commissioner can remove the seal. The SOP, detailed in an official circular, outlines two circumstances under the TG-bPASS Act, 2020, that may lead to the sealing of properties: firstly, if false information or misrepresentation is utilized to secure building permission; and secondly, if construction occurs without permission or deviates from sanctioned plans.

The circular also cites the Supreme Court’s guidelines from December 2024 regarding the demolition of unauthorized constructions, as well as recent directives from the Telangana High Court that require the sealing of additional floors if builders continue construction after receiving a show-cause notice.

It further emphasizes the GHMC Commissioner’s authority to seal such properties under the GHMC Act of 1955. According to the SOP, copies of the show-cause notice must be distributed to the District Collector, the chief of the Special Task Force, the Zonal Commissioner or the designated GHMC nodal officer, and must also be prominently displayed on the structure.

If construction does not cease immediately following the issuance of the notice, the premises must be sealed without delay, as stated in the circular, which outlines the detailed sealing protocol. The owner or occupier is to be granted three days before the sealing process commences. A red ribbon should be affixed around the entire construction, accompanied by a paper tag bearing the signature of the officer conducting the operation, as well as the signatures of the ‘Panchoos’ (witnesses present at the site). The office seal, secured with wax, should be affixed at the appropriate location.