Gurugram: residents against plot owners & builders assist for FAR hike
The apartment lifestyle has dominated the residential market in major cities of India, but people still wish to buy a plot of land and build their own home. Buying a ready-to-move-in flat needs you to pay a fixed amount or will have to take a loan and pay EMIs over a period of time. It means as soon as you pay you start living in the house. But, buying a plot needs you to have funds at your end to construct the property on the land bought and brings out to be more costly compared to buying a flat of the same size and dimension.
Cost of buying a flat or land depends on the location. If you are thinking of buying a plot within city limits in a metro where space is a limitation, the price would be much more expensive than what you would spend for a flat. Moreover, if you were to invest in land in one of the Tier-II cities in India, you would be capable to get a large plot of land at a much cheaper price. The point to remember is that while some banks offer loans to buy a flat, not many offer loans for buying a plot.
After the Haryana government’s approval of construction and registration of 4th floor in plotted areas and sectors, developers and owners have demanded an increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
Nevertheless, the existing infrastructure, which is more than 30 years old, worry for the residents. They might not be able to bear the extra load.
As per residents, if FAR is increased, plot owners will be able to build and occupy more area on their land. Currently, where FAR is 1.98, the plot owner can construct on around 66% of the area. If FAR is improved to 3, this can develop to around 80%.
Last week, hundreds of property developers and owners met with state PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh and demanded that the FAR should be increased.
As per the property developers and owners, the state government has already allowed the construction of the 4th floor and its registration as an independent residential unit but the FAR is still the same. They sought that if it is increased, they will be able to construct one more area in smaller plots as, under the present FAR norms, a lot of space is left vacant and only limit construction is allowed. Increasing FAR will balance the demand-supply gap and also check violation as people carry out illegal construction.
After the conversation with property developers and owners, Singh assured them that he will discuss the possibility of increasing FAR with the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).
However, residents communities challenge that the present infrastructure such as water and electricity supply, drainage and garbage disposal is incapable to meet the demands of the current population and it will fall if the load increases extra in case FAR is hiked.
On the other hand, residents claimed that if the local builder gets this demand filled, residents would be in trouble. Residents are already facing issues with basic amenities like water, electricity, roads, apart from lack of security.
A week ago, the DTCP had ignored the occupation certificates of 165 properties in DLF Phase 1, Sushant Lok, Palam Vihar and other communities where property owners made changes to the buildings later.
