Approval must for a watchman’s room in parking areas, rules HC

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court made it clear that it is mandatory to get approval for constructing a room for watchmen and toilets in the parking area located in the stilt floor in residential complexes.

Justice T. Vinod Kumar said that though Rule 13 of the Telangana Building Rules, 2012, as notified in GO Ms. No. 168 of April 7, 2012, allows a ‘watchman room and two toilets (WC) in the stilt floor with a maximum built-up area of 25 square metres’, that by itself does not automatically allow a builder, to go ahead with the construction without including the same in the building permission.

The judge was dealing with a petition filed by residents of Annapurna Apartments of CTO Colony in Kothapet, complaining that the civic authorities were threatening to demolish the watchman’s room on the stilt floor.

They argued that it was against the 2012 building rules. Such space shall not be disposed of and shall be part of the common facility of the complex. Hence, the action of the civic authorities was arbitrary, the residents argued.

GHMC counsel argued that in respect of apartment complexes, buildings, or blocks of a residential nature, in sites up to 750 sq.m the parking requirement shall be deemed met if the entire stilt floor is left for parking, and submitted that a minimum of 30 per cent of the built-up area of the residential complex should be allotted for parking. Further, he submitted that the sanction approval of the petitioners’ apartment did not mention the watchman’s room.

After considering the arguments, the court said that permission to construct a watchmen's room was mandatory. Giving relief to the petitioners, the court directed them to file an application for regularization of the watchman’s room under Section 455-A of the GHMC Act. The court also directed the civic authorities to consider the application.