Stop Work

With the state government fixing new zones for Bopal’s town planning (TP) schemes, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) on Tuesday asked builders to immediately stop construction work in the satellite town. The edict has rattled developers, already upset with the new zoning policy that restricts construction of high-rises in developed areas of Bopal.

 

According to an estimate, the freeze order will affect 35 residential and commercial projects, some of which are nearing completion. Builders said that they would rail against the order, which threatens punitive action against developers who don’t comply with it.

Recently, the urban development department announced change of zones for TP schemes. It assigned R1 zone to TP scheme 1 and R2 to TP schemes 2 and 3. Earlier, the reverse was the case. The R2 status permits only buildings with three floors, while the R1 allows up to 12 floors.

This zone swap has riled builders because developed areas of Bopal fall under TP schemes 2 and 3, where the new R1 tag will ground all upcoming schemes of high-rises. “Developers cannot carry out construction work in Bopal until the urban development department passes the final order on the TP schemes,” Auda
chairman Dharmendra Shah told Mirror.


Shah said that department might issue the final order on the zoning policy after two months. “During this period, people will be allowed to submit their objections to the proposed policy change,” he said.

Following the issuance of Tuesday’s freeze directive, members of Bopal Ghuma Housing & Estate Developers (BGHED) met Shah and sought reprieve. “It’s not just builders who are wringing their hands. People who have booked homes in upcoming schemes are also worried as they won’t be able to take possession of their property until all construction work is complete,” BGHED president Dipak Patel said.

He said that Auda’s edict would render 3,000 construction workers jobless. “If builders halt work at their schemes, what will these labourers do?” he enquired.

The president of Gujarat Institute of Housing & Estate Developers (GIHED), Suresh Patel, said he was baffled by the urban development department’s decision to alter the zoning policy. “What is the department up to?” he wondered.

A builder, who didn’t want to be named, termed Tuesday’s directive as unfair. “It will result in huge losses for us. The civic body is being very unfair to developers,” he said. A realty expert said that residential and commercial schemes worth more than Rs 1,000 crore had been proposed in Bopal.

Developers’ bodies such as BGHED are considering to meet Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel on Thursday to discuss the issue.