Hyderabad: The Telangana government amended the Building Rules–2012 and announced a major TDR policy amendment to protect water bodies while offering relief to affected landowners.
The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department issued G.O. Ms. No. 16 on Friday. Through this order, the government revised the Transferable Development Rights policy. The move followed Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal directions on removing encroachments from lakes, rivers, and nalas.
Under the revised framework, the government will compensate lands falling in Full Tank Level, Maximum Flood Level, and buffer zones through rationalised TDR benefits. These areas do not qualify for construction permissions. The government said the aim was to balance environmental protection with landowner interests.
The government clarified that the amendments will apply only to projects notified by government or government-linked agencies. These include HYDRAA, HMDA, and GHMC. Earlier, authorities granted equal TDR for FTL and buffer zones. Now, the government has introduced graded incentives to encourage voluntary land surrender.
To boost market demand for TDR, the government made its usage mandatory in high-rise buildings. Accordingly, builders must use TDR for 10 per cent of the built-up area above the 10th floor in buildings exceeding 10 floors.
TDR policy amendment outlines incentives and clearance norms
Under the TDR policy amendment, landowners who surrender land within lake FTLs and river MFLs will receive TDR equal to 200 per cent of the relinquished built-up area. For lands located in lake and river buffer zones, the government fixed the incentive at 300 per cent TDR.
When land is required for public purposes such as water resource projects or road widening, the government will grant 400 per cent TDR. Similarly, when nala widening takes place on private land, authorities will apply 400 per cent TDR, matching road expansion norms.
If landowners voluntarily hand over land free of cost, they can avail additional benefits. These include setback relaxations, extra floors, or additional built-up area on the remaining land. However, these benefits will remain subject to fire safety, airport, and other statutory approvals.
Before granting TDR for water body-related lands, officials must obtain clearances from the irrigation department executive engineer and a revenue official of additional collector rank or above. Authorities will issue TDR only after confirming land title and FTL boundaries.
If landowners remain unavailable or if title disputes arise, officials will deposit the related TDR in a dedicated TDR Bank. Once disputes are resolved or documents are produced, authorities will release the TDR. For bulk lands exceeding one acre, landowners must obtain prior government approval.
Municipal Administration Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan stated that the amendments will come into force with immediate effect.
