KOLKATA: Next time you intend to make changes to the internal space of your residential building during execution of the construction work, inform the Kolkata Municipal Corporation commissioner 15 days in advance and proceed with the execution of such work.
But, don’t forget to submit a certificate from the architect or licensed building surveyor or the structural engineer as the case may be to the commissioner’s office with drawings, incorporating the deviations, stating the nature and purpose of such deviations.
But, such changes from the original sanctioned plan should be restricted within the ‘sanctioned’ covered space.
According to a KMC building department official, the relaxations in building rules are being offered to the citizens after half a decade.
In 2014, prodded by a court ruling, the KMC was forced to withdraw the system of regularizing minor deviations from original plans.
According to a KMC buildings department official, the civic body has decided to relax some parameters of the building rules to give citizens relief.
“If an applicant wants to make some internal changes according to his/her convenience which were not part of the original building plan, we will allow the applicant to do so if these don’t infringe upon the provisions of the building rules.
All we need is a communication from the applicant and a certificate from the engineer who had drawn the original plan and now wants to make changes,” a KMC official said.
According to him, the applicant can be allowed to do internal changes that include alteration in size of rooms or carving out additional space for kitchen, prayer room within the sanctioned covered space.
If during execution of construction work, any external deviation beyond the sanctioned covered space becomes necessary, the KMC may allow it (if it doesn’t violate the basic tenets of building rules) provided the applicant submits a revised plan incorporating the deviations intended to be made.
According to an official, the scope for external deviation will make room for even change of alignment of the construction space and may benefit an applicant.
“A citizen or a promoter who takes up construction of flats after demolishing an old building often fails to foresee space to be used for determining covered space of the project before the demolition.
Hence after demolition of the old building, if any external deviations are allowed it will benefit the applicant,” the official said.
The KMC has come up with such relaxations for citizens who either construct their own houses or buy flats and need to make some changes either internally or externally to cope with changing needs.
According to an official, the department was getting flooded with requests from citizens across the city to allow minor deviations from the original sanctioned plan.