Hyderabad: Banned trading activity a hit in residential areas

Hyderabad: Land use regulations in the city are ignored with impunity. The rule book says godowns, warehouses, truck parking areas, hospitals, gas cylinder godowns etc are prohibited in residential areas. But colonies both in the core area of Hyderabad and the peripheral zones allow several such banned commercial operations.

A godown of Gofers, a grocery store that recently shutdown, makes commuting difficult in Banjara Hills road 12, a purely residential zone. Trucks carrying goods load, unload and even park in the colony road. Morning walkers and car drivers in the neighbourhood who till recently had a free way, find it difficult to venture in and out of their homes.

There are plenty of examples of residential flats rented out for commercial use. Garments stores,  offices of chartered accountants, Xerox shops, beauty parlours,  clinics, consultancy rooms etc operate from residential flats and pay property tax applicable not to commercial premises, but to residences, which is lower.

Ambati Arjun Reddy, a lawyer handling civil cases, says it is necessary to get the approval of the housing society at a general body meeting before allowing a residential flat to be used for commercial purposes.

“Depending on the nature of the business and also subject to the approval of the housing society, it may also be necessary to obtain permission from the local municipal authorities for conversion of the flat into a commercial establishment. It may be possible to obtain permission from the housing society to conduct a business that does not involve any movement of people or storage of goods in the residence, but it is not a good idea to start any kind of business in a residential flat without getting complete clarity on the legal aspects,” he said.  

Even if a housing society permits business activity in a particular case, such activity can still be deemed illegal and be notified, say experts. The law includes a crucial clause on open spaces that every individual fighting against encroachers must know. It is mandatory that all the roads and open spaces earmarked in various schemes, such as cluster housing, group housing, large apartment complexes and other types of group development schemes, must be handed over to the GHMC free of cost through a registered gift deed before the occupancy certificate is issued. The society/association may, in turn, enter into an agreement with the GHMC for utilising, managing and maintaining the roads and open spaces. In case of any violation or encroachment on roads and open spaces, the GHMC has the power to summarily demolish the encroachments and resume back the roads  and open spaces and keep it under its custody.

Sindhi colony wears commercial look

Many residential areas have turned into commercial spaces, violating the civic rules.

Sindhi Colony, which was meant to house the refugees from Sindh after the partition of India, has now become one of the leading commercial streets.

From chattered accountants, garments, grocery stores to street food, the colony is packed. Flats have been rented out for godowns, beauty parlours, fast food joints and others. “It isn’t easy to keep a vigil on properties or occupants when houses are let out for commercial activities.  People prefer to let it out for commercial purposes though it is objected by the colony or apartment welfare associations,” said Mr Ronnie Jain, a resident of Sindhi Colony
Another example is Srinagar colony, which was known for its marble manufacturing units. Of late, many educational institutions and offices have sprung up in the area as it is centrally located, connecting Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Ameerpet and Panjagutta. Call centres and film producers have also started shops in the area.

A few colonies that have turned into commercial hubs are Motinagar, Kukatpally,  A.S. Raonagar, Radhika, Dilshuknagar, Ameerpet, Chirag galli, Sultan Bazaar, Road number 12 Banjara Hills, MLA Colony, ACB headquarters. On the eastern side, Nagole and Uppal (highly commercial due to the Uppal-Warangal highway ) top the list. In the northern area, Alwal, Trimulgherry, Venkatapuram, Tadbund, Mudfort do a brisk business.   

On the other hand, colonies with a strong resident welfare association have been able to prevent commercialisation of residential properties.

Major Shiva Kiran,  vice-president of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Association, said, “In most of the colonies where the association is active, they have a rental system in place.  Whenever a flat or property is vacated, the welfare association seeks registration to know the new occupants. The RWA appeals to the property owners not to let out their property for commercial purposes and it has worked.”