Finally, govt announces township policy

GANDHINAGAR: After a long lull, the state government on Thursday

 finally announced the much-awaited regulations for residential townships

 The move is likely to infuse fresh supply of housing and relax pressure

on prices, especially in big cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot.

TOI had reported on November 16 about the regulations, which allow

real-estate developers to build multi-storey buildings 70 metres high,

with floor space index (FSI) of 1.5, irrespective of any zone in any

urban area of Gujarat. While free FSI allowed is 1, 0.5 can be purchased

on payment of 40 to 50 per cent of jantri rate.

“We hope the regulations will release large pieces of land for building

residential colonies, for which several proposals had come during the

Vibrant Gujarat summit of January 2009,” a senior bureaucrat said.

The only rider is the developer — who can be an individual, a registered

cooperative society, an association, a firm, a joint venture, an institution

or a company — should buy up at least 40 hectares (ha) of land in seven

 urban development authority areas, and 20 ha of land in urban authorities

 operating at municipalities.

The developer will have to set aside 60 per cent of land for residential

 purpose, while the rest can be put to use for public purpose infrastructure,

 including 30-metre wide roads, streets, recreational grounds, water and

electric supply, street lighting, sewerage and storm water drainage.

Five per cent of the space will have to be left for school, hospital and

public amenities, five per cent for parks and gardens, each plot being

of at least 3,000 sq metres. Another five per cent land will have to

 be set aside for weaker sections. Two hundred trees will have to dot each ha area.

Applications for townships will have to be made to the municipal commissioner,

 the chief executive authority or the chief town planner of seven big cities,

and to the collector, the chief officer or the town planner of the 113 urban

 authorities of smaller townships. A decision will have to be taken within

30 days. A state-level screening committee of senior officials will have

 to give final nod after issuing a notification to allot land.