Telangana Eases Building Norms, Expands TDR Use
Hyderabad: The Telangana government has issued amendments to the Telangana Building Rules, 2012, introducing various changes aimed at rationalizing the use of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and providing greater flexibility in construction regulations.
According to the decision, the government reviewed the submissions of various stakeholders seeking relaxation in building parameters and improvement of provisions regarding the use of TDR. After reviewing the demands, the government announced the changes to be published in the Telangana Gazette.
One of the most significant changes is the redefinition of tall buildings as structures 21 meters or more in height, excluding some non-functional areas such as chimneys, cooling towers, elevator machine rooms and water tanks.
The changes also allow buildings between 18 meters and 21 meters in height on plots between 750 square meters and 2,000 square metres, provided developers use the TDR and meet parking and other regulatory requirements.
Additionally, the government allowed regression relaxations through the use of TDR. In case of road widening, setbacks may be relaxed subject to maintenance of minimum requirements in case of road widening, while in case of high-rise buildings, up to 10 per cent relaxation in permissible setbacks may be allowed provided that a minimum setback of seven meters on all sides is maintained.
The new provisions also allow applicants to pay development or conversion fees or submit equivalent TDR in the event of alteration, reduction or deletion of master plan roads.
Additionally, the changes allow developers to build additional floors through TDR on parcels over 2,000 square meters, depending on road width. Subject to compliance with fire, airport and other safety norms, additional floors of up to three floors are allowed in plots adjacent to 40-ft roads, four floors for 60-ft roads and up to five floors for 80-ft roads.
The government has also changed the TDR loading provisions for high-rise buildings. Buildings above 10 floors and up to 20 floors must use 3 percent of the total construction area above the 10th floor through TDR, while buildings above 20 floors must use 5 percent of the total construction area above the 20th floor.
According to the instructions, 50 percent of the required TDR must be submitted during the construction permit and the remaining 50 percent must be submitted before the Occupancy Certificate is issued.
