FGG Writes To CS About Rampant Corruption In HMDA

Forum for Good Governance secretary M Padmanabha Reddy has written a letter to Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari about huge corruption in the office of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, and requested her to initiate deterrent action to control corruption.

In his letter, Reddy said that Hyderabad was developing fast, and that the land prices in and around the city were increasing in leaps and bounds, but plenty of that was also due to corruption in the HMDA.

"One of the reasons for the high cost of lands around the metropolitan city is the heavy 'fees' in the HMDA for getting the required permissions. Apart from the government-prescribed charges, there are bribes fixed at every stage of getting a case vetted in the HMDA. The staff working there has institutionalized corruption. The amount of bribe is proportional to the land value. Many realtors are grumbling, but unable to come out openly as they have to work with the HMDA."

Reddy said that the Forum for Good Governance had observed that many officers and staff in the HMDA had been working there for a long time and had developed vested interests.

"Lots of stories are making the rounds that the bribe-takers in the HMDA office claim that the bribe amount is distributed among many officials. Though we have no proof for this statement, there is widespread talk about the open and heavy corruption that is taking place in the HMDA," Reddy said.

The Forum for Good Governance urged the Chief Secretary to shift all the officers and staff who had been working for more than three years in the HMDA, and to introduce a citizens' charter to control corruption. He also requested the Chief Secretary to remove unnecessary clauses to facilitate quick permissions.