Common construction rules across Gujarat from today

The Gujarat government announced that the new common General Development Control Regulations (GDCR) for construction activities will come into effect in the state from today. While giving nod to the new and improved GDCR, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said the new regulations would remove discrepancies and bring a greater transparency and ease-of-doing business, said an official release. The new rules will be applicable in all eight municipal corporations, 162 municipalities and areas governed by 23 Urban Development Authorities in the state, it said. Till now, every city/local body had its own GDCR. Now, there will be a common set of rules for construction.

Thanks to the new rules, a height of up to 11 metres will be permissible for houses in Kutch, an earthquake-prone region, against upto 10 meters permitted earlier. To facilitate `stack parking', where cars are parked one above another using a mechanical platform, the GDCR allows raising the height of the parking floor from the present 2.8 meters to 4.5 meters, said the release. To avoid congestion on roads near commercial complexes and malls, use of basement for loading and unloading of goods will be allowed under the GDCR, it added.

For new houses on a plot smaller than 25 sq metres, the requirement of leaving a margin space all around will be waived. Such constructions will need to leave a margin space only on the side of the common road.To save water, the new rules mandate use of double flush system in toilet instead of the single flush system, said the release. The double flush system has two different buttons or handles which release different amounts of water.