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Builders stirred by Ahmedabad Civic Body's FSI decision

Ahmedabad's town planning committee has made a significant decision regarding the Floor Space Index (FSI) of buildings located near Transit Oriented Zones (TOZ), Central Business District (CBD), and high-FSI zones. The committee has decided to deny an FSI of 4 for buildings located in the 200m buffer area of premier zones if the plot initially fell outside the zone when the town planning scheme was formulated.

The decision has caused concern among developers and landowners as they can be denied higher FSI if their plot had been moved into the buffer zone from outside. The move has been taken to prevent people from scamming the corporation to claim higher FSI, which could also create legal issues. The decision taken for the Vasna TP scheme plot will apply to all plots that lie along the TOZ and CBD zones in the city.

Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) formulated higher FSI for the first time in 2014 to account for development within the 200m buffer zone alongside TOZ, CD, and residential affordable housing (RAH) corridors. The higher FSI of 4 is available along the 36km Metro corridor and the 98km BRTS route. The CBD has the highest FSI of 5.4 for tall buildings. The state government later added the 24m, 30m, and 36m road width criteria for higher FSIs.

The civic body's town planning committee can move a plot around while drawing a TP scheme to accommodate civic or infrastructure facilities. Sometimes, a plot outside the buffer zone can be moved into the area, and vice versa. Buildings built on properties inside the buffer zone are granted an FSI of 4.

According to a senior town planning department official, the decision to deny an FSI of 4 was made in connection with a plot in Vasa TP scheme 26, which originally lay outside the TOZ but was relocated to the buffer zone. The interpretation of this move can have broader implications, say developers who own land near premium corridors like the Metro, BRTS, TOZ, and CBD in the city. The move could adversely affect developers as they won't be able to benefit from the higher FSI if their plots fall outside the buffer zone.

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