Owners of all new structures built in commercial zones within the core city limits would have to pay impact fee now. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development department has directed the GHMC not to entertain requests for exemption, irrespective of the nature of land on which the proposed structure is to be built.
The direction comes in the wake of several owners demolishing existing commercial establishments are seeking exemption from impact fee by contending that commercial activity was already being carried out in those structures, and that new structures would not impose additional imp-act on civic infrastructure.
“The problem lies more with old cinema halls that are being converted into multiplexes and malls,” a senior MAUD official said. He said the management of Odeon theatre recently app-lied for multiplex licence on RTC crossroads, but claim-ed that there is no need to pay impact fee since the theatre has been run from the same premises for long. But based on the government’s clarification, GHMC turned down the proposal.
MAUD officials said structures being built on the Metro corridor, or 300 mts on either side of the track, would also be brought un-der the purview of the fee, despite the corridor being notified as “multi-purpose zone” in the master plan.
Introduced in 2002, impact fee was initially levied on projects converting residential land for commercial purposes. The fee was made mandatory for all new structures in 2007. However, the Rosaiah government had later relaxed this rule.