Rajuk's new rule
At last the cat was out of the bag on 29 May 2008. The government issued the gazette notification on the building construction act dated 27 May 2008. Our long waiting and anxiousness has come to an end after a year and a half. For the first time appreciable guidelines/ rules have been incorporated in the above gazette, to be followed by the developers and the land owners.
But the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) table is a shock and more of a frustration than anything else to the small land owners holding 2 to 10 katha plots.
As per the table, plots of 2 katha or less has to give up 32.5% of the land, besides keeping proportionate land vacant for the future expansion of the adjacent road/roads up to 20 feet, meaning further curtailment of the plot area. This ratio applies to the larger plots step by step with a maximum FAR of 50:50. Now can anybody with a bit of common sense assume what habitable abode can be constructed on the remaining land of the plots
May I ask our policy makers: who were behind initiation of this gazette, some of whom must be having mansions constructed on 1 bigha of land as per the oldest FAR of 20:80 . Are they prepared to halve their mansions to conform to their latest rules and thus set examples for us to follow? Moreover, how many vacant plots are there left in this city to comply with the latest rules?
One cannot understand the objectives of our policy makers. It is also not comprehensible as to what harm has been caused to the city environment by those mansions constructed as per the oldest FAR and what benefit will be derived by the buildings to be constructed on half of the plots as per the new FAR? Here in U.K. even detached houses are a few feet apart, but with front and back gardens. We can hardly afford such luxuries in our country where land is so scarce and is the most sought after property.
I urge the authorities to reconsider and review this FAR table, taking into consideration all aspects and perspectives and permute a new table, as per expectations of the majority of small land owners.
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