Secunderabad Cantonment Board to tweak by-laws to increase floor space index

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) is in the process of tweaking by-laws including those on Floor Space Index (FSI), number of floors, parking and cellar areas. The defence ministry has cleared the norm for all the cantonments nationwide.

The SCB for years has been pitching for increasing the FSI from the existing 1.5 to 2.5 to allow property owners to go for additional built-up area. The other recommendations to increase in permissible floors (beyond G+3), not consideration parking, cellar or balcony as built-up areas, and commercial spaces in residential layouts.

According to SCB chief executive officer S.V.R.Chandrashekar, the by-laws are being drafted to be placed before the Board. SCB vice-president J. Ramakrishna said the extent of B2 land (state government and private land) is higher when compared to other cantonments. “Hence, we are pressing for the relaxation of rules,” he said.

He said the FSI in other cantonments was less than that in the SCB because the total area and extent of non-military land was much lower.