CHANDIGARH: Plugging the deficiencies in the earlier provisions and seeking to give a boost to the sluggish construction and infrastructure development activities in the state, the Amarinder Singh government on Tuesday unveiled the amended Punjab Municipal Building bylaws. From now onwards, the cinemas in the state are considered as miniplexes and the rules for hotels, motels and guest houses have been relaxed.
The new bylaws, covering construction of residential, commercial and industrial buildings, including hotels, miniplexes and other infrastructure projects, are aimed at making construction activity in the state more seamless and hassle-free for all the stakeholders, thus reviving the sector in the state, said Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra.
Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Sanjay Kumar said that the bylaws had been notified by the Town Planning wing of the Local Government Department on December 31, 2019.
As per the amended bylaws, cinemas would now be considered as Miniplexes, with their capacity enhanced to four from the earlier two, and the seats are increased to 999 without any bar of minimum seats per cinema fixed at 250 earlier.
For inviting investments in small ULBs, the frontage of the plot for miniplex has been reduced to accommodate the small plot sizes in Class I and II towns. Further, the owner can now convert the existing cinema to miniplex with commercial component on 50 feet wide road too. Ground coverage of miniplex has also been increased.
Keeping the vertical growth in consideration, the FAR of multiplexes have been increased on different sizes of roads. The Punjab Purchase of FAR has also been introduced in multiplexes on payment basis, along with Transferable Development Right to boost investment opportunities, for which the requisite terms and conditions of purchase of FAR have also been clearly defined in the amended bylaws.
In order to encourage planned development and investment in urban Punjab, the hotels, motels and guest houses have also been incorporated in the amended bylaws.
Earlier, the minimum plot size for hotels was 1000 square meters, but in thickly populated urban areas with mixed population strata there was a need for budget hotels near railway stations and bus stands. In such areas, only small size plots are available, therefore the plot size has been reduced from 1000 square yards to minimum of 200 square meters. Also, the norms of guest houses, boarding and lodging, serviced apartments have been relaxed.
Under the amended bylaws, medical colleges with Hospitals or Nursing colleges, hostels, etc. would be treated as Institutional Buildings. Ground coverage and FAR of such Medical -Institutional buildings, having area above ten acres, has been increased for providing better medical facilities to the residents of state.
The amended bylaws also regulate group housing, frontage of Group Housing plots now being fixed, and norms of public utilities and facilities also included. Commercial use has been relaxed in such projects, and now they can have opening on front roads subject to certain conditions. Crèche and Primary school have also been allowed in Group Housing projects for safety and convenience of children.