Eclectic panel to ensure safety at new high-rises

Chennai

The panel would keep the safety aspects of the high-rise buildings such as fire safety, adequate warning arrangements, automatic fire detecting and alarming facilities and other norms stipulated in National Building Code of India, 2016.

According to an amendment made in Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019, the panel would be chaired by the member secretary of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), while the director of fire and rescue services, engineering director of Metrowater, chief engineers of Chennai Corporation and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, chief planner of CMDA, joint commissioner of police (Traffic) would act as the members. 

A senior planner of CMDA would act as the convenor of the panel and an engineer from the local body other than Chennai Corporation could participate as a special invitee in panel meetings. It would scrutinise the buildings coming up in Chennai Metropolitan Area. A separate panel would be constituted to approve high-rise buildings in the areas other than the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

“Any suggestions or alterations recommended by the panel shall be incorporated in the plans,” the amendment said.

The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department released government order, on January 31, to amend the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019. The rules were released in February 2019 to make building rules uniform acrossthe State.

The new amendment, in a move to ensure better connectivity in developing areas, also mandates the builders of large projects to set apart road spaces in case link roads are to be provided for connectivity to the adjoining areas through the site applied for development. “The competent authority reserves the right to insist the applicant to set apart such road spaces within the site and handover the same free of cost through registered gift deed to the local body for declaring it as a public road,” the amendment read.

The new rules would permit clinics, polyclinics, dispensaries, diagnostic centres, primary health centres, nursing homes, working women’s hostels, old age homes, special needs homes, reading rooms, libraries, police stations, government offices and local body offices on narrow roads.

Features of Amendment

• Permission for buildings with area less than 1,200 sqft will be issued in 30 days from the date of receipt of the plan
• Owners will have the flexibility to allocate the land for community recreational purpose as the authorities will not insist on land abutting a public road
• Premium FSI will not be allowed in Red Hills catchment area and area of water bodies maintained by the Metrowater 
• Sites abutting and gaining access from roads of width 12m and above will be zoned as commercial use zone for CMA
• Sites abutting and gaining access from roads of width 9m and above will be zoned as commercial use zone for rest of CMA

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