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Banjara & Jubilee Hills Losing Their ‘Elite’ Status
Posted by Pradeep Sadanapalli | September 22, 2008 | 2,822 views
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Paradise lost: It was time that disparity between the Hills residents and others is removed
It’s a place where the rich and the powerful live. For decades, living in the posh Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills was at once a status symbol and mark of envy for rest of the citizens with huge houses and lush lawns. To cap it, the government had maintained the distinctness as there were special rules restricting height while those in other parts had to follow common building rules.
All that changed a few days ago with the government withdrawing special regulations governing the building activity of the Hills and allowing constructions up to 15 metres or five floors for properties located on 40-feet-wide roads. Thus far, there was a height restriction of 10 metres commonly while relaxing the rule in a case-by-case basis arbitrarily.
Motive
Once the road-widening bug reached Banjara and Jubilee Hills a couple of years ago, the height restriction was relaxed from 10 metres to 15 metres for properties on Road No.36 of Jubilee Hills and two to three main roads of Banjara Hills to encourage voluntary land transfer from owners to the municipal corporation.
During the same time, hoteliers were invited to construct, relaxing the special regulations, quite amazingly, for six months only! Senior municipal officials said only three to four hotel projects ranging from three to five-star ratings have been given the clearance as of now, while few more projects are on the drawing board.
“There cannot be a sprawling paradise when rest of the city is struggling for space. It was about time disparity between the Hills residents and others was removed. We were clearing plans under G.O.86 (common building rules) for others when special regulations under the defunct G.O.423 was being applied for the Hills”, remarked a senior official.
“It is not fair we spend the same money for civic infrastructure here where the population is sparse and in other places where density is much more,” said another. Well-connected residents, politicians, retired and serving bureaucrats and others who have made the area their abode had managed to resist any move to relax the norms.
Not anymore it seems, perhaps due to the dizzying rise in property prices and land value. “In fact, virulent critics were the first to seek permission for constructions once relaxations were given,” pointed out a senior official.
Interestingly, among the persons who had sought such a change was a retired police officer. Too much should not be read into the change in building rules, argue some officials.
“A city changes its development contours with time like an industrial belt becomes a residential area over a period. Same thing has happened here,” he said.
Yet, not allowing apartments in the Hills even now is baffling. “There is no reason why it should not be allowed when you are talking of common rule for all areas. Moreover, it will be very difficult to monitor and control activity.”
“How can you build five floors and say only five units are build (anything more will be considered as an apartment)?” wondered a senior official.
When common building rules state building permissions are given taking setbacks and plot area into consideration without bothering about Floor Space Index (FSI), it made little sense to prevent apartments while allowing commercial complexes and buildings up to five floors, argued a senior official.
“Anyway, we are already inquiries from many and construction activity could pick up soon since the area is adjacent to Madhapur, Kondapur and environs.
It could have an impact on real estate in those places,” he added.
SOURCES:
Hindu
Topics: Property Matters, What's UP, Real Estate, Infrastructure |
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