2 staircases to be must for highrises…….Linah Baliga
Draft Policy On 70m-Plus Buildings Likely By March
Draft Policy On 70m-Plus Buildings Likely By March
Mumbai: A draft policy for highrises above 70 metres in heightapproximately 20 storeysis on the cards.It will be formulated by the Bombay High Court-appointed highrise committee.
The committee,which comprises technical experts from IIT and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) under the chairmanship of retired Justice Shafi Parkar,will finalize the draft rules in the first week of March.They will factor in the safety,environmental,geotechnical and structural aspects of these highrise buildings.
The draft guidelines will make it mandatory to construct two staircases each 2 metres wideto avert any mishap in case of emergency.Earlier,staircases of lesser width were allowed for highrises of 70m.But in this draft policy,we will insist on 2m,to aid early evacuation and prevent stampede in case of a terror attack,building collapse,fire or any other untoward incident, said Retd Justice Parkar.
To lower traffic congestion,said Justice Parkar,parking of vehicles outside buildings will be discouraged.Many housing societies do not allow to park inside building compounds.This policy will insist on visitors parking in such highrises and provision for twowheelers too.We will not allow new construction till all our conditions are adhered to, he said.Justice Parkar also said that swimming pools on top floors will not be allowed.
Focussing on the environmental aspect,the draft guidelines will make a distance of 20m between two highrises mandatory.The distance between two highrises shouldnt obstruct the flow of wind,air and light.Sufficient open space of 20m should be allowed between two highrises.On the structural aspect,width should be more at the bottom to ensure stability of the structure, said Justice Parkar.
In case of cessed buildings that come under Development Control Regulations (1991),where a minimum open space of 1.5m is granted,the draft guidelines will decide on how much height will be permissible in that space, said a member of the highrise committee.
The draft guidelines are expected to be finalized,and approved by municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar in the first week of March.Civic sources said that similar draft guidelines for highrises were proposed last year,but were rejected by the former municipal commissioner as they did not fit in with the existing DC regulations.
In 2003,the Bombay High Court had heard a plea on how infrastructure suffered due to construction of highrises.HC gave an order to the state government to appoint a study group.This group stated that buildings up to 70m would be monitored by an approving authority such as BMC and MMRDA.But for those higher than 70m,a team of technical experts would be appointed.The state government formed the first highrise committee in 2004.
VERTICAL STRUCTURE
Draft guidelines for highrises above 70 metres will mandate:
– Two staircases;each 2 metres wide
– Provision for visitors parking
– No swimming pool on upper floors
Permissible height for cessed buildings with minimum open space will be made known