Hyderabad: The Telangana government is preparing to launch the state’s first-ever tribunal dedicated to town planning disputes, a move that could ease the frustrations of property owners mired in bureaucratic delays.
Officials say the tribunal will likely operate out of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) headquarters, with formal orders expected any day now.
At the moment, property owners who want to challenge town planning objections often face drawn-out legal battles in the High Court or lower courts—a process that’s both slow and costly. The new tribunal, officials say, will cut through that red tape, offering a quicker and less expensive path for resolving disputes.
This decision comes after repeated nudges from the Telangana High Court, which has been urging the state to set up a tribunal to help clear the mountain of town planning cases. Earlier governments dragged their feet, but a contempt petition by an NGO finally forced the issue. The state then assured the court it would set up the tribunal before the High Court’s summer break ends.
The tribunal is expected to be led by a district judge, alongside an experienced town planning official. With illegal constructions on the rise, the need for a dedicated forum has become urgent. Over the past five years, the High Court has handled more than 2.5 lakh petitions related to unauthorised buildings, while nearly half the complaints received during GHMC’s weekly Prajavani sessions have been tied to construction disputes—from unapproved plans to illegal extra floors.
To make the plan official, the government plans to amend the GHMC Act and formally call the new body the Municipal Building Tribunal (MBT). The MBT will have the authority to quickly handle cases, protect property owners from harassment by planning officials, and crack down on illegal construction.
Officials are hailing the move as a potential game-changer. They say it could ease the burden on the courts and give residents a more straightforward way to address disputes—a big step toward streamlining urban governance in Telangana.
