DDA proposes uniform FAR, reduction in penalty charges

The DDA has proposed bringing uniform floor area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residence plots and complexes, at par with residential plots, in a move that will come as a big relief to traders facing threat of sealing, officials said on February 2, 2018. The proposal, which hinges on an amendment to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD-2021), was approved during a meeting of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), held under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas. The DDA, however, said provisions of parking as per the prevailing standards, shall be mandatory for the approval or sanctioning of any revised plans by local bodies, in the case of shop-cum-residence plots or shop-cum-residence plots designated as local shopping centres (LSCs). “An amendment has been proposed to the Master Plan, to provide uniform FAR for shop-cum-residence plots or complexes, at par with residential plots, as given to properties on mixed-use street, which will depend on the size of the plot and subject to availability of parking,” a senior official said. FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land, upon which it is built. The urban body also proposed reducing penalty charges from ’10 times to two times’ for violation of other terms and conditions, for properties meant for mixed use. At the meeting, the DDA proposed to ‘allow commercial activity in the basements in all commercial streets and areas, subject to payment of requisite charges without any discrimination’. “Once the public notification regarding the amendment is issued, there will be three days for inviting suggestions and objections from people, after which it will again come up for review and then, finally, be sent to the centre for approval,” the official said. The move will come as a big relief to traders, who have been seeking uniform FAR, as several properties have been sealed by civic bodies, in the last few months. Civic bodies in north, south and central Delhi, have been carrying out sealing drives, which started in December 2017, with action against over 50 shops in Defence Colony Market, at the instance of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.