ACB raids Serilingampally deputy commissioner’s office, finds dozens of building files cross 21-day limit, suspicious transactions

Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau, Telangana (ACB), has conducted a surprise inspection at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Serilingampally Circle-49, under the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation.

The team identified delays in processing building permissions, lax enforcement against unauthorised constructions and suspicious financial transactions requiring further investigation.

The surprise check was carried out on March 6 by the ACB’s Rangareddy Range Unit based on credible information. Officials verified records, financial transactions, pending applications, complaints and the overall functioning of the office.

Circle reorganisation and record verification

Serilingampally Circle-20 was reorganised from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and brought under the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation on December 2, 2025, following which it was renamed as Circle-49.

As the reorganisation process is still underway, records before December 2, 2025, were not available at the Circle-49 office. Therefore, ACB officials confined their verification to records maintained from that date onwards.

Building permissions: Delays beyond 21-day norm

Between December 2025 and March 2026, the office received 285 building permission applications. Of these:

- 134 were approved

- 21 were rejected

- 63 are currently under process

- The remaining applications are at stages such as shortfall notices, fee intimation or on hold

Among the 63 applications under process, 16 are pending with the Section Officer, 25 with the Assistant City Planner (ACP), and 22 with the Deputy Commissioner.

The ACB found that 21 applications had exceeded the prescribed 21-day processing period. Of these, five were pending with the ACP and 16 with the Deputy Commissioner, indicating delays in decision-making.

63 complaints about illegal constructions

During the same period, 63 complaints were received regarding unauthorised constructions.

While second notices were issued in most cases, 14 files remained pending without further action even after the stipulated time following issuance of the second notice.

In 10 cases, second notices were not issued despite the expiry of the prescribed period after the first notice. Four cases are currently pending before the courts. In one instance, although a second notice was prepared, it was not served on the respondent, and the file remained pending.

The ACB also observed that several unauthorised construction cases had remained pending for months — and in some instances for over a year — without final orders or enforcement action.

Suspicious financial transactions under scanner

During scrutiny of records, officials noticed certain suspicious financial transactions between office staff and private individuals. These transactions are subject to further detailed investigation by the concerned authorities.

The overall findings of the surprise check point to delays in processing applications, lack of timely follow-up, and poor monitoring of enforcement activities.