Hyderabad:The Future City Development Authority (FCDA), established by the state government in March this year to oversee the development of Future City on the city outskirts, has now become fully operational. This follows the devolution of powers from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for granting layout and building approvals. According to official sources, land allotments to various institutions in the upcoming Future City will begin soon.
The National Institute of Urban Management is set to receive 20 acres, while the FCDA headquarters will be allotted 7.5 acres in Survey No.112 of Meerkhanpet mandal, which lies within the FCDA’s jurisdiction. Currently, the authority operates from the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Ltd (HGCL) office in Nanakramguda. However, the government has decided to construct a permanent office in Future City and has earmarked 7.5 acres for this purpose.
The FCDA’s jurisdiction covers 765 sq. km, encompassing 56 villages across the Amangal, Ibrahimpatnam, Kadthal, Kandukur, Maheshwaram and Manchala mandals in Ranga Reddy district. Of these villages, 36 were previously under HMDA and 20 under DTCP. Initially, even after these villages came under FCDA’s ambit in March, layout and building approvals continued to be issued by HMDA and DTCP due to FCDA’s lack of software, staff and infrastructure. The system is now being upgraded to facilitate online approvals through the state government’s “BuildNow” platform.
The Chief Minister serves as the chairman of the FCDA, with the municipal administration minister as vice-chairman. Principal secretaries from various departments have been appointed as members. Recently, the government sanctioned 36 officer and staff positions for the authority. IAS officer K. Shashanka has been appointed FCDA commissioner, while DTCP director S. Devender Reddy holds additional charge as additional director (planning). The planning division within FCDA has been fully established and HGCL engineers are expected to be appointed as chief engineer and superintendent engineer.
Until now, HMDA and DTCP were responsible for granting building and layout permissions in the Future City area. With the FCDA now taking over, all such approvals will be routed directly through the authority. The “BuildNow” system is being updated to ensure that applications for building and layout permissions within FCDA’s jurisdiction are automatically directed to it.
Following recent government orders, the rules applicable to areas beyond the Outer Ring Road under HMDA will now also apply to the FCDA. This alignment of regulations is expected to streamline development and bring uniformity to planning and building permissions across the Future City region, official sources added.
