Buildings with a height of 15 metres built under the Chief Minister’s Awas Yojana, 2015, must have an extra ‘setback’ of one-fourth of the size of the plot.
The proposal has been passed to develop the space for movement of fire tenders in case of an emergency. Earlier, developers were leaving a 6-metre setback in high-rise buildings. A setback is the minimum distance which a building or other structure must be set back from a street or road, a river or other stream, a shore or flood plain, or any other place which is deemed to need protection.
An official said, “As per the new rule, the setback in buildings having a height of 15-metres will be one-fourth of the size of the plot. The proposal received approval in building planning committee (BPC) meeting.”
Earlier, the government allowed construction of multi-storey buildings up to 32 metre and above before the Rajasthan High Court in 2018 banned construction of new high-rises till municipal corporations procured aerial hydraulic ladder platform equivalent to 32 metre or above and the fire department strengthened its firefighting system. The ban was lifted after the requirements were met.
An official source said, “Jaipur has fire tenders that can douse fire till 42 metres. Ladders that can reah a height of 70 metres will be procured by February 2021.”
Apart from Jaipur, high-rise buildings can be constructed in Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bikaner, Udaipur and Bharatpur. In cities where buildings above 32 metre are to be constructed, a written permission has to be obtained from the government. There have been many incidences in the past where illegal constructions of buildings have taken place. If in a city a ladder above 32 metres is not available, then the construction company has to give it in writing that they will construct further only when the ladder becomes available in their municipality.
