Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

SCB may allow extra floor but seek mortgage

HYDERABAD: The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) is planning major changes in its building by-laws and under the new rules, it may permit an extra floor to the existing ground plus two floor limit.

But, there could be a catch in the form of mortgaging the entire extra floor to the SCB for curbing building violations. These guidelines are likely to be made applicable in fresh cases while it mulls levying penalties on existing building violations.

Constructions could be allowed in land area starting from 30 sq.yards, while the minimum mandatory 133 sq.yards was required before. This change would be of great help for construction of weaker section housing considering the Government allots 60 sq.yards to eligible persons. The SCB has been caught in a bind ever since considering it could not officially allow buildings in such a small piece of land. It is no different from other parts of the twin cities in having rampant cases of illegal buildings and violations of the sanctioned plans.

Within SCB alone, officials concede that there could be more than 2,000 such violations. The Union Government did revise the Cantonment Act yet it was upon the individual cantonment boards to have their own building by-laws in tune with the local perspectives.

Officials have been brainstorming with the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to finalise the new bylaws in the last few months.

These, if cleared by the SCB at its meeting to be held very shortly, would be very comprehensive covering all aspects of land area vis-À-vis built up space and clear cut parking norms non-existent now.The mandatory parking space is likely to be 60 per cent, 40 per cent, 30 per cent and 20 per cent depending on the usage like function palaces, cinema houses, hotels, educational institutions, apartments and so on.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu