Section 251 in Andhra Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1965
251. Buildings unfit for human habitation.
(1)If any building or portion thereof intended for or used as a dwelling place appears to the municipal health officer to be unfit for human habitation, he may by order prohibit the further use of such structure for such purpose, after giving the owner and occupier of the structure a reasonable opportunity of showing cause why such order should not be made.(2)When any such prohibitory order has been made, the municipal health officer shall communicate the purport thereof to the owner and occupier of the structure and on expiry of such period as is specified in the notice, not being less than thirty days after the service of the notice, no owner or occupier of such structure shall use or allow it to be used for human habitation, until the said officer certifies in writing that the causes rendering it unfit for human habitation have been removed to his satisfaction.(3)When such prohibitory order has remained in operation for three months, the said officer shall report the case to the Commissioner, who shall place the matter before the council for considering the question whether the structure should not be demolished. The Council shall give the owner not less than thirty days notice of the time and place at which the question will be considered and the owner shall be entitled to be heard when the question is taken into consideration.(4)If upon such consideration the Council is of the opinion that the structure has not been rendered fit for human habitation and that steps are not being taken with due diligence to render it so fit, it shall record a decision to that effect with the grounds of the decision and the municipal health officer shall, in pursuance of the said decision by notice, require the owner to demolish the structure.(5)If the owner undertakes to execute forthwith the works necessary to render the structure fit for human habitation and the municipal health officer considers that it can be so made fit, the council may postpone the execution of its decision for such time not exceeding six months as it thinks sufficient for the purpose of giving the owner an opportunity of executing the necessary works.
