HYDERABAD: The government has come up with an attractive offer to pacify landowners who are reluctant to part with their property for government projects. The State government has decided to relax the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) rules, giving more rights to owners of properties that are likely to be acquired. A government order on the new TDR policy will be released very shortly by the department of municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) after making necessary amendments to the existing Building Rules.
Instead of cash compensation for land acquisition, the government will soon issue a TDR certificate that will allow the owner to construct additional built-up area anywhere in the city. If the owner is not able to do so, he can transfer the rights to a third party by selling the TDR certificate. The third person, who buys the TDR certificate, can construct additional floors their personal use or sale. At present, with TDR, construction of only one additional floor is allowed. Now, proposals have been sent to the government for allowing two additional floors without insisting on additional setbacks if the owner has TDR certificate.
City mayor Bonthu Rammohan told Express that instead of cash compensation, the proposed changes in the TDR policy would be a sop to owners to hand over with their properties or land for widening of roads and for other infrastructure projects such as grade separators, flyovers, road overbridges and other public projects.
TDR will reduce the burden on the civic bodies and also reduces the cost of project. To gain the confidence of property and land owners, the GHMC will set up an online TDR bank where builders can purchase the TDR, he added.Further, the TDR can be granted equivalent to 400 per cent (previously 250 per cent) of the built-up area of an area surrendered to the corporation free of cost.