Building Ombudsman yet to take shape

DESARAJU SURYA
Hyderabad: The much-awaited Building Ombudsman is yet to take shape as the Andhra Pradesh government seems to have ignored it altogether.
The state government spoke of constituting a Building Ombudsman when it framed the Revised Building Rules-2006 (GO Ms No 86) in March 2006 and again in GO Ms No 678 in September 2007. Except making the provision in the GOs, no subsequent action has been initiated to put the Ombudsman in place.
The Building Ombudsman, a quasi-judicial authority, is meant to deal with all complaints of building violations, shortfall in building standards, services and specifications and safety aspects. The Ombudsman is primarily intended to safeguard the interests of the property buyers what with the growing number of illegal constructions.
Two years have elapsed since the proposal was mooted but the government has not yet worked out the procedure, role and details of the functioning of the Building Ombudsman, official sources in the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department said.
"This is an enabling provision that we have incorporated in the Revised Building Rules. But, yes, we have not proceeded further on the proposal," a top official of the MAUD Department admitted.
Andhra Pradesh would have become the first state in the country to have an ombudsman, particularly to deal with building-related issues. The ombudsman would have helped the authorities in dealing with illegal constructions effectively besides regulating the construction activity in urban areas.
Apart from the Building Ombudsman, the government also wanted to constitute a Town Planning and Building Tribunal for dealing with all town planning, enforcement and building issues by making necessary amendment to the AP Urban Areas (Development) Act, 1975. This proposal too did not move any further, the MAUD sources said.
With litigation piling up and rapid expansion of urban areas, it is high time the government gave a serious thought to the constitution of these bodies that would go a long way in regulating the real-estate activity as well as protecting the interests of the buyers.