KOLKATA: The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's proposal to allow Salt Lake homes to add an extra floor, and allow elevators in all G+2 structures, will have a direct bearing on the township's estimated 26,000 homes. Till now, the floor area ratio (FAR) allows only two-storey buildings on plots under 4 cottah and a maximum of G+3 structures on plots above 4 cottah. The only leeway is to construct an additional room and an extra toilet.
The move, if approved, is expected to bring some windfall gains. Per square feet land in Salt Lake, on an average, is about Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000. The prices sway from Rs 50 lakh-Rs 60 lakh per cottah inside blocks to Rs 1 crore-Rs 1.2 crore per cottah in prime locations. According to rough estimates, it will now take residents Rs 1,000 per square feet to add a floor if they have the foundation, but price will shoot up to Rs 1,500-Rs 1,600 per square feet if they have to bolster the foundation. Engineers estimate it will take Rs 10 lakh-Rs 12 lakh to build a floor.
Developed in the 60s, residents of Salt Lake, however, are technically not the owners of the land, but leaseholders, with the state urban development department allotting plots for a lease of 999 years.
BMC officials could not immediately spell out the approximate number of floor-extension requests they have received till now. "Informally, many such requests have been made over the years, prompting us to take up the issue," an official said. Residents said they will also have to see the fine print of the building rules changes. A G+2 house, sources said, is usually made with a 2.5m-4m foundation. This foundation can bear the pressure of an extra floor, unless the soil tests prove otherwise.
"In case a new floor is being constructed on an existing building, its foundation will need to be checked to ascertain whether it will be able to withstand the structural pressure of an additional floor. There will be no such problem in case an old building is demolished to make way for a new one with an extra floor," said structural engineer Anjan Kumar Dutta, adding that the proposal of having a provision of a home lift, which can carry two to four persons, is good and is much required.
"Salt Lake has been developed as a planned township. There could be an added pressure on the sewerage and drainage system, water supply system and space for parking. The infrastructure needs to be augmented. There will be no problem if these infrastructure issues are taken care of," said Basab Aich, an engineer and past secretary of Salt Lake's BE Block committee.
"The proposal as a whole is good, but it needs to be seen that there is a certain limit to allowing an extra floor. Infrastructural issues could arise if an extra floor is set up on an already existing three- or four-storey building," said Sankhadeep Roy Chowdhury, a marketing professional with a construction chemical company.
Residents welcomed the proposal of a lift in houses. "There are many seniors who find it difficult to use stairs. This will help them," said Bidhannagar Welfare Association secretary Sarat Mullick.
