Secunderabad: Mahendra Hills building owners’ high-rise hope gets fillip
SECUNDERABAD: In a relief to building owners in Mahendra Hillls, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials have agreed to look into applications seeking relaxations on height restrictions to construct extra floors.
A majority of the buildings in the area have seen no change in the past over five decades due to curbs on height and mandatory NoC from airport authorities.
Officials of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) have been pursuing the matter with AAI, Begumpet, for a while to allow additional floors on a par with areas in GHMC.
“The AAI, Begumpet, has said that property owners who want to build additional floors have to apply to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is the appellate authority,” SCB chief executive officer B Ajith Reddy told TOI.
Building owners in Mahendra Hills have to apply either as individuals or as a group/association for sanction of additional floors in the affected areas, the CEO said.
Recently, SCB civilian nominated member J Rama Krishna had raised the issue of additional floors and pointed out that a few colonies on western side had come up with constructions approved by the GHMC up to five floors.
Currently, as per building bylaws of the Cantonment Board, plans for G+2 structures are being sanctioned. Due to height restrictions, majority of the buildings are only meant for residential use in Mahendra Hills.
“Height restrictions in Mahendra Hills is the main hurdle for us. While properties in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills in neighbouring GHMC coming under the funnel zone are getting permissions to build up to five floors, we have been denied the same,” said K Pradeep, an NRI and resident of Ravi Colony.
The restrictions have been the trigger for some property owners to seek merger of SCB civil areas with GHMC.