Hyderabad: House owners in the Secunderabad Cantonment will hopefully be able to make modifications and additions to buildings in the near future. Officials of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) sent the revised model building bylaws to the directorate general of defence estates (DGDE) seeking changes to the existing limitation of floor space index (FSI), which is the ratio of area covered by building floor to the plot size.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a Delhi-based research institute, was deployed to study issues in the cantonment area. Accordingly, a team of experts from the institute inspected 16 civilian areas in the cantonment, including Lal Bazaar, Bolarum, Picket, Pension Lines, and Kowkur, on a two-day visit in March this year, SCB officials said.
Yatin Choudhary, a research assistant at TERI, said the draft survey report sent for review to the DGDE recommended revision of the FSI limit in accordance with the national building code. “One discrepancy we observed in the cantonment is the issue of vehicle parking on roads, due to which there is congestion.”
“An increase in FSI limit from 1.5 to 2.0 is likely to come into force within four months. The new building bylaws will also mean doing away with the consideration of parking and other areas under the covered building area,” J. Ramakrishna, civilian nominated member of the SCB said.
“Over the years, the FSI was restricted to be low to preserve the character of the cantonment and to minimise the density of population. But, as the city grew and people started asking for relaxation of rules, we have sent a proposal to the ministry of defense in this regard,” said B. Ajith Reddy, chief executive officer, SCB.
Unlike any other cantonment in the country, the existing FSI rule covers parking area, stairs, lift, and balconies under the building floor area. “The archaic laws have been plaguing the people of cantonment for decades,” complained S. Ravinder Babu, general secretary, Cantonment Vikas Manch.
