BENGALURU: In order to ensure construction of more houses in the available space, the Housing Department is set to increase the number of houses in apartment complexes built by the Karnataka Housing Board (KHB). Apartment complexes constructed henceforth will have ground floor + 13 or 14 floors. So far, the buildings were G (ground)+3 floors. It has also decreased the down-payment to avail KHB apartments from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50,000.
Speaking at a press meet, Urban Development and Housing Minister U T Khader said the state government has decided to increase the number of floors because the existing policy of building apartment complexes with only four floors in prime government land was not beneficial. While the initiative will be first introduced in Bengaluru for KHB projects, it will be extended to other urban centres based on demand and policies framed by urban local bodies, he said. In order to maintain quality in construction, the department plans to validate the buildings with BIS or other standards, he said.