Property owners and residents within the Belagavi Cantonment are likely to get significant relief as the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE) has approved a proposal to increase the Floor Space Index (FSI) for construction in the Cantonment area.
The proposal has now been forwarded to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the next step. The revised FSI norms will come into force only after the Ministry issues and publishes the required notification in the Gazette.
The proposal had been submitted to the DGDE seeking final approval for changes to the existing construction regulations. With the DGDE’s approval, the process has now moved to the Ministry of Defence level. Once the notification is issued, construction permissions can be processed under the revised regulations.
A maximum FSI of 2.0 has been proposed for civil areas of the Cantonment. The increase is expected to have a significant impact on the redevelopment of old buildings, new construction and planned development of properties.
Around 20,000 residents are expected to benefit directly or indirectly from the revised norms.
What is FSI?
Floor Space Index (FSI) is the ratio between the total permissible built-up area and the area of a plot. A higher FSI allows property owners to construct a larger built-up area on the same plot.
An earlier proposal to increase the FSI in the Belagavi Cantonment had been rejected by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Pune, because the proposed FSI was too high. Following this, a revised proposal was prepared and submitted for consideration.
The latest approval by the DGDE marks a significant step forward, with the final decision now resting with the Ministry of Defence.
“The decision to increase the FSI is a positive one. Approval has been received from the DGDE, and the Ministry of Defence is expected to issue a notification soon. This will greatly benefit the citizens of the Cantonment,” said a source familiar with the process.