Builders in limbo as jurisdiction tangle stalls layout approvals post HMDA expansion

Hyderabad: Confusion and frustration are mounting among builders and property owners in villages recently merged into the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), following a vague govt order issued three months ago.
A bureaucratic deadlock between two planning authorities—HMDA and the directorate of town and country planning (DTCP)—has left scores of building and layout applications in limbo, despite applicants having paid the required fees months earlier.
The controversy stems from GO No. 68, issued by the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department on March 12, 2025, which expanded HMDA's jurisdiction up to the Regional Ring Road.
This move added 1,355 villages from 104 mandals across 11 districts, enlarging the authority's coverage from 7,000 square km to 10,472 sq km. Simultaneously, the Future City Development Authority (FCDA) was formed, comprising 56 villages over 765 sq km.
The jurisdictional shuffle has triggered administrative confusion: villages that were once under DTCP's purview are now within HMDA's limits, but no procedural guidance has been issued for applications filed prior to the merger.
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"Outside HMDA, DTCP grants layout and building permissions. But now, DTCP says it cannot process applications since those villages fall under HMDA. HMDA, in turn, says fees were paid to DTCP, so it's not their responsibility. We are stuck in a loop," a frustrated developer told TOI.
For example, Rachakonda village in Narayanpur mandal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, was brought under HMDA in March. Yet, despite the developer having paid fees to DTCP well before the transition, approvals remain pending.
"When over 300 villages were merged into HMDA, the GO should have clearly addressed the status of pending and in-process applications. Unfortunately, the MA&UD department neither included such a provision nor issued a subsequent clarification," a senior department official admitted.
Adding to the gridlock, MA&UD joint director J Srinivasa Rao confirmed that many developers are stuck. "DTCP has submitted a list of pending approvals to the department. The file has been forwarded to the chief minister's office for a decision," he said, adding that the matter is now awaiting clearance from the CMO, as the chief minister also holds the municipal administration portfolio.
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