It pays to be an architect these days

It was one profession that used to attract well to do kids or students with no so good ranks in EAMCET. But all that is changing, with the construction boom that has led to a surge in demand for civil engineers and architects. But of late, many of these young men and women have stopped going to work, and instead concentrating on the Compulsory Disclosure Scheme (CDS) and the Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS).

Like any government document, the CDS and LRS documents are so complicated that only a so-called expert can wade through the documentation to make sense. Instead of having a simple one page form, GHMC has deliberately gone in for a complicated form so as to make life miserable for ordinary citizens. So, people like you and me have to shell out a couple of thousands depending on where you live to architects and civil engineers who will ‘take care’ of the paper work.

The scheme that has all the makings of a scam is still dependent on the on-going case in Andhra Pradesh High Court. The court has made it clear that GHMC could accept applications under the CDS and LRS scheme, but the final decision is dependent on the judgment.

These involve filling up pages and pages pf data, getting a land value certificate from the registrar’s office, which will take ages. The printer in the Vallabh Nagar Sub-Registar’s office in Begumpet has been out of action for a week. So, all those who want these certificates are asked to come after a week. Imagine, this is India – the IT capital of the world. Here the government cannot buy a printer for one of its departments. Then one needs to have photographs of the building both from outside and inside. One also needs to attach the sanctioned plan, the actual construction plan and a host of other documents. Strangely, GHMC and its earlier avatar, the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad never bothered about these rules, when the builder was going ahead with his illegal construction. What were they doing then? How much money was paid to the Municipal authorities so that they could turn a blind eye?

All these while a building in my neighborhood quietly illegally constructed an additional floor, working mostly in the night. I complained to the Mr Sarma, Commissioner GHMC and Mr Amaraiah, Deputy Commissioner, GHMC Alwal, Secunderabad. No avail, as for three months no action has been taken against the building which illegally runs a school. Obviously, rules are meant for ordinary people.

At the end of the day, I am reminded of a Malayalam movie made in the 90s featuring Mohanlal. The movie ‘Varavelpu’ is the story of a hardworking man who returns from West Asia to his hometown in Kerala and decides to buy a bus and make a living out of it. From Motor Vehicle Inspectors to Trade Unions, life becomes hell for the young man who is finally forced to flee in despair. Something similar is happening with us, the citizens of the twin cities.