PANAJI: With nearly half of the industrial land in the country locked due to building and construction laws, the Centre has urged Goa, along with certain other states, to amend building regulations. Liberalising building standard compliances is crucial for industrial growth, the Centre said.
Goa may consider rationalising building regulations for factories and industries on aspects such as setbacks, higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and reduced parking spaces. The state has been asked to conduct a self-assessment on these points while also studying the best practices of other states.
“Amending building regulations is crucial to industrial growth because, on average, industrial buildings in India lose 50% of land to building standards compliance,” said an official. “The state may liberalise norms while taking into account the parameters of fire safety, disaster proneness of an area, and the nature of the industry.”
Currently, Goa lacks information on this, and the Centre has asked Goa to study the best practices from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as from Singapore and Hong Kong. Punjab does not mandate side setbacks for plots up to 2,024sqm, while Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have similar exemptions.Goa has also been asked to analyse the FAR policies adopted by Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, and international hubs such as Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan.
Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu do not set a minimum plot area requirement for industrial buildings.
“The purpose served by individual standards can be met by modern technology without the need to keep expensive land unproductive. Setbacks help reduce the time it takes for a fire to spread between two adjacent buildings,” said a note shared with state govt. “However, modern technologies like automatic firefighting equipment, smoke detectors, and fire-resistant building materials can help reduce the risk of fire hazards without locking up productive land.”
Maharashtra allows the construction of mechanical or hydraulic parking to reduce the area lost to parking norms, and Goa govt can explore a similar solution for the 23-odd industrial estates.
