Builders say move will bear fruit in future
The high-rise zone between the Outer Ring Road and the Peripheral Ring Road mooted by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) is one of the long-pending demands of stakeholders such as the Builders’ Association of India (BAI) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI).
Though BAI and CREDAI had sought an increase in the floor area ratio (FAR) to three or more, this has not been incorporated into the Master Plan. The revised document mentions the FAR range as1.5 to 2.75, depending on the size of the plot, and the maximum height is restricted to 11.5 meters, depending on the road width.
Welcoming MUDA’s decision to create a high-rise zone along the ORR-PRR corridor, Ravindra Bhat of BAI said it was a welcome shift in the authorities’ stance though there won’t be any immediate benefits for the city.
“It is a long-term move and development may be seen 15 to 20 years down the line by when the existing space in the city will have been utilised fully and new development would have to be concentrated along the corridor,” Mr. Bhat said.
Optimum utilisation
The thrust on vertical growth will arrest the unbridled horizontal expansion of the city witnessed in the last decade, he added. It will also result in optimum utilisation of the available land.
But stakeholders believe that for the plan to succeed, MUDA should gear up for appropriate infrastructure development by way of broader roads, bigger diameters of sewage and water pipes, space for solid waste management, etc. to support high-density living.
It should also earmark adequate land for CA (civic amenity) sites and educational institutions to reduce the need to commute extensively from new to old areas.
They said failure to do so and persisting with the existing norms for civic amenities based on low-density population would add pressure on the existing infrastructure.
This is already being witnessed in parts of the city where high-rise apartments have been sanctioned in areas meant for row-house development. As a result, there have been complaints of sewage lines getting clogged and drinking water supply getting hit.
