The Noida Authority (NA) has decided to give some additional benefit to plot owners in the city. It has decided to allow construction of a third floor to those allottees who are not able to expand parking space to get approval for an additional floor, as per the increased floor area ratio (FAR) that was invoked a year ago.
In its new building regulation enforced last year, the NA had announced a number of benefits for the plot owners.
These included an increase in FAR, construction of basements, stilt parking lots, elevators and bigger balconies. But to be able to add a third floor, the allottee had to show space for parking of an additional car in his/her premises.
But there are many plot owners who had already constructed the ground floors, and thus couldn’t create an extra parking lot, a requisite for the construction of another floor (as allowed under the increased FAR). It is these plot owners who stand to benefit from the new NA move.
According to the NA officials, the relaxation will apply to those who were allotted plots and also undertook construction on these before the Building Regulations 2010 were enforced, since these allottees cannot create additional parking space.
“Such people can get their maps revised. But those who have not yet constructed the ground floor will have to leave space for additional parking to add an extra floor,“ says RP Kaushik, senior architect and town planner, NA.
But there are many who have voiced concern about such a move. Architects too feel it will create chaos on the internal roads of sectors. “Once an extra floor is added, more people will move in. Where will they park their vehicles,“ asks town planner, Anurag Gupta. “It will also put an additional burden on the civic services,“ he adds.
Meanwhile, owners of flats in group housing societies are also protesting the introduction of purchasable FAR introduced by both Noida and Greater Noida authorities for group housing projects. The purchasable FAR allows a builder to have more constructed area than allowed previously on a particular plot.
House owners state that this move violates their rights under the UP Apartments Act.
According to UP Apartments Act, once a building plan is sanctioned by the authority and is disclosed to the buyer and a sale agreement is signed, the builder cannot make any major alterations without the consent of the buyer.
The Act also says that the common areas and facilities cannot be altered without the consent of all the flat owners.
“Purchasable FAR will mean the builder will use up the common areas. And it doesn’t say anything about the rights of the flat owners,“ says SK Sharma, a resident of Sector 93.
“Such a practice will affect the structural safety of the building and services like green and open spaces will also be compromised,“ says G Venkat, a resident of Sector 62.
Rajkumari Tankha rtankha@hindustantimes.com
