Gujarat, on Tuesday, cleared the way for skyscrapers to come up in the State. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani approved construction of buildings of more than 70 floors under the changed rules in five big cities of the State — Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar.

“The decision will not only take Gujarat’s skyline to a record high, but will also show the state’s mettle in terms of its infrastructure capacity. With the construction of the skyscrapers, the state’s urban infrastructure will be able to accommodate the rising population and generate more employment for the dwellers,” a government statement said, adding that the decision aims to highlight Gujarat on the global map along with UAE and Singapore — places known for skyscrapers.

These buildings can be used for residential, commercial, and recreational purposes or a combination of the same.

Currently, Gujarat’s tallest buildings are located in GIFT-City, Gandhinagar — GIFT-One and GIFT-Two — of 28 floors. Last year in September, Rupani had indicated the government’s intent to open Gujarat’s skyline to skyscrapers.

The new rules will permit the construction of more than 70 floors in a building, compared to 22-23 floors at present.

Provisions for construction of such tall buildings will be made in the CGDCR-2017. The new rules will apply to buildings taller than 100 meters and with an aspect ratio of 1:9, the statement said, adding that the provisions will be applicable to D1 category in select cities where the permissible base Floor Space Index (FSI) is equal to or more than 1.2.

The CM has announced the formation of a Special Technical Committee (STC) for the purpose, with Additional Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary or Secretary to Urban Development & Urban Housing Department, Government of Gujarat, as its Chairman. Other five members of the Committee would include academic experts each from the fields of structural engineering, soil mechanics, fire services, town planning and a practicing registered structural engineer. A Technical Member from the Municipal Corporation or Urban Development Authority will be the member secretary of the STC.

The STC will clear the plan for the proposed buildings and the same will be forwarded to the Competent Authority with recommendations for further necessary action.

The new set of rules allows a skyscraper to come up only if the adjoining road is more than 30 meters wide. The minimum plot size for a building of 100-150 meter height is 2,500 sq mt, whereas for buildings above 150 meters, the minimum plot size is fixed at 3,500 sq mt.

The state government has also hiked the maximum FSI to 5.4. Premium FSI will be available on chargeable basis. The Premium FSI charges will be 50 per cent of Jantri rate of non-agriculture land, the new rules state.

The FSI decides the extent of construction that can be done on a plot. FSI is the ratio of the built-up area of the building to the total size of the plot. (If the FSI is 4 and the plot area is 2,000 sq mt, the maximum built-up/ constructed area permissible for that building would be 8,000 sq mt).

The rules also make it mandatory to have Electric Charging facility in the parking zone of the buildings, mandatory Vent Tunnel Test and a proper Disaster Management Plan for the building.

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