HYDERABAD: After nearly 80 years, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board is taking steps to revise its building by-laws. The new by-laws would make rain water harvesting pits, solar water heating and planting of one tree per 100 square metres mandatory for getting permission for new buildings. The SCB board meeting on Monday deliberated on the draft recommendations introduced by the board Chief Executive Officer S.V.R. Chandrashekar. It proposed that cellar, stilt and parking areas should not be considered in the Floor Space Index calculations.
The FSI — the ratio between built up area and the plot area — was fixed at 1.5 in 2003. SCB vice-president J. Ramakrishna said the members wanted the FSI to be increased to 2. The revised by-laws proposed allowing plot sizes of 50 sq.metres (59.7 sq.yards) and above. Ward-1 member J. Maheshwar Reddy suggested modifications in set back rules for plots ranging from 150 to 500 sq.metres.
He said the category of 500-2,000 sq. metres was to be divided into two categories so that plot owners owning 700 or 800 sq. metres or below do not lose a big portion of land. The maximum height was proposed to be 12 metres for residential and 18 metres for commercial buildings. To encourage multiplexes and shopping malls, the SCB has decided to grant permissions to those coming with proposals between 3,000 and 5,000 sq.metres. The suggestions would be sent to New Delhi for consent. Once it is obtained, they would be open for public for objections and suggestions.
Row over trash transfer point
Congress activists staged a protest in front of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board office demanding removal of garbage transit point at Mahatma Gandhi community hall, Trimulgherry. Board member P. Bhagyasree (Congress) regretted that no action had been taken for the past year despite the board discussing the inconvenience caused to residents due to dumping of waste from all eight wards.
SCB president Manish Upadhyay said the issue would be discussed at a special meeting within a fortnight. CEO S.V.R. Chandrashekar said that since there were no vacant C category land, they would need to request the Army establishment to check for B-4 or A-1 land. Earlier, Congress leaders led by Mr Krishank Manne staged a dharna in front of the Defence Estates Officer building even while board was holding its meeting inside.
Police took the protesters into custody and shifted them to the Bolarum police station. Board members belonging to the TRS — J. Ramakrishna, Maheshwar Reddy, Pandu Yadav, J. Lokanatham, Nalini Kiran and Anitha Prabhaker — criticised the Congress for trying to attract the attention of the media.
