Singhania building many storeys at Breach Candy, exceeds FSI 10 times
A latest order by BMC spell trouble for the Breach Candy tower built on a one-acre plot by the Singhanias of Raymond.
A report prepared by municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte says that the so much concession approved to the developers is responsible for huge construction. The report also says that the construction area is more than ten times the FSI used. FSI is the ratio which tells how much construction can be done on the plot.
Mr. Sitaram Kunte, municipal commissioner, says that this is the case that causes serious problem from the urban planning point of view. A senior civic official added that the order suggested that the height of tower could me minimizes to at least 7 floors.
It is observed that more than necessary concessions were approved in 2008 by Mr. Jairaj Phatak who was then municipal commissioner of that time. He was later suspended by the state government for his role in Adarsh society scandal.
Mr. Kunte mentioned that the BMC had stopped work on that building in 2012. Mr. Subodh Kumar also added to the Kunte’s words by saying the concessions are huge and unuseful.
Before his retirement in May 2012, Mr. Kumar instructed his officers that these constructions are nothing but just extra covered spaces which have been constructed without permission.
The building named as JK House consists of basement plus stilts, shops on the first and second floors, parking levels and two refuge floors between the third and 14th floors and a museum between the 15th and 18th floors. In JK House, the19th floor is a service area whereas the floors from 20 to 36 are for residences, fire refuge, amenities and AC plant room. The total height of JK House is 142.56 m.
The very tall building of many storeys was allotted an area of2, 563 sq m just for fire refuge floors and refuge areas. Mr. Kunte ordered that the fire refuge areas and fire escape passages can be free of FSI only up to 4 percent of the constructed region it serves. According to the National Building Code anything more than this shall be counted in FSI.
The commissioner noticed that apartments, including duplexes on the higher floors were over 70 sq m in area. The documents of those buildings show that these buildings don’t have approval of government for increasing its area. That’s why Raymond Ltd needs to take clearance from state government. The order also says that the shops and duplex floors having height more than 4.2 m shall be counted 1.5 times in FSI.
According to Mr. Kunte’s order, Raymond Ltd has been advised to submit modified plans which are according to this order and following rules. The modified plans consist of clearance from state government.
Source: The Times of India
Adarsh Society, BMC, Breach Candy tower, FSI, Jairaj Phatak, JK House, Mumbai, Municipal Commissioner, National Building Code, Raymond, Singhania, Sitaram Kunte, Subodh Kumar
