CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has displeased the Union government for failing to incorporate model building bye-laws (MBBL), 2016, framed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs into the draft Tamil Nadu Combined Development Regulations and Building Rules, 2018.
It is learnt that the Centre has asked the State government to incorporate all 14 features of the model building bye-laws, which were framed as legal tools to regulate coverage, height, architectural design and construction aspects of buildings so as to achieve orderly development of an area.
This comes as the six-member committee, chaired by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority member-secretary, which is examining the suggestions, has been asked to submit the recommendations by September 30.
Under Amrut Mission, one of the reforms to be implemented is the revision of the state building bye-laws in accordance with the model building bye-laws, 2016, released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs.
While the state government has sought objections and suggestions on the draft Tamil Nadu Combined Development Regulations and Building Rules, the Centre has noticed that the draft contained only five of the 14 features of model building bye-laws.
As a result, the Mission Director has asked the state government to incorporate all 14 features of the model building bye-laws. These include provisions for segregated sanitation facilities for visitors in public buildings, provisions of high-rise buildings, provision of structural safety, provisions for differently-abled, elderly and children, rainwater harvesting, green buildings and sustainability provisions, water re-use and re-cycling, rooftop solar energy installation, installation of solar assisted water heating systems, sustainable waste management, green rating systems, streamlinging of building plan approvals, risk based classification of buildings and climate resilient construction.
Currently, the state has provisions for high-rise buildings, rainwater harvesting, climate resilient construction, structural safety etc.
The new directive from the Centre to incorporate all the features of model building bye-laws would mean that the deadline may have to be revised to rework the final draft.
However, top officials of the Housing department refused to comment on the development.
In 2003, the Ministry of Urban Development desired that the model building bye-laws be prepared, in view of Bhuj earthquake that occurred in 2001, to lay focus on structural safety of buildings and for the guidance of the state governments.
Accordingly, the MBBL 2004 incorporated the provisions of structural safety and other provisions like rainwater harvesting and waste water recycling, solar-assisted heating, barrier-free public buildings and fire safety.
In 2015, it was further desired by the Ministry of Urban Development that the model building bye-laws, 2004 need to be revised and updated keeping in view the emerging issues like norms for rooftop solar PV installation, segregated sanitation facilities for visitors in public buildings, additional provisions in building regulations for natural hazard-prone areas, conservation of heritage sites including heritage buildings.
Safety first
1 Model building bye-laws are mandatory in nature and serve to protect buildings against fire, earthquake, noise, structural failures and other hazards
2 In India, many small and medium sized towns which do not have building bye-laws and in the absence of any regulatory mechanism face encroachment and haphazard development
3 Town and Country Planning Organisation prepared “Model Building Bye-Laws- 2016” for the guidance of the states, urban local bodies, urban development authorities etc
4 The new bye-laws are an improvement over the previous model building bye Laws brought out in 2004