TDR website launch will violate poll code

Hyderabad: The proposal of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)  to launch the website of Transferable Development Right (TDR) to facilitate citizens will be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

With MCC in force, the launch of the online facilities can influence voters in seven municipal corporations, including Nizampet, Badangpet, Meerpet, Bandlaguda-Jagir, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda and Jawaharnagar in the Greater Hyderabad region. Elections are scheduled to be held in these corporations on January 22.  

The civic body claims to be bringing in this facility on the pretext that it will help expedite ongoing infrastructure works like Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), double bedroom housing project for urban poor, road widening, developing slip roads, nala widening and the likes.

However, in hindsight, this is capable of influencing voters in 32 wards in Badangpet, Meerpet (46 wards), Bandlaguda Jagir (22),  Boduppal (28), Peerzadiguda (26), Jawaharnagar (28) and 33 wards in Nizampet, where overall there is four electorate that will decide the fate of candidates, come January 22. According to sources, TDR would primarily be helpful in the six proposed municipal corporations, which are still in developing stages. Though the website was ready in November, the civic body waited for instructions from higher ups to put it in public domain.

Its officials claim that in order to put infrastructure projects back on track, the Corporation had decided to launch the website in a couple of days. Officials even claimed that there has been a greater demand for TDRs in the west and east zones, where most the of the new corporations fall.

Replying to a query, a senior GHMC official said that although they had consulted higher authorities for the formal inauguration, they have already decided to launch the website in a couple of days. The official maintained that TDR was the need of the hour to put the projects back on track since the government and civic body has been facing severe fund crunch. Moreover, the Corporation would need around Rs 6,000 crore to acquire lands to put in place all earmarked infrastructure projects.

“Even though the TDR policy was introduced early last year, citizens who possess TDR have to work out on whom to sell it. Till date there has been no mechanism to sell or buy TDR and as a result middlemen have been looting citizens,” official said.