Hyderabad- based realtors seek tweak in FSI norm

Alarmed by the acute water shortage plaguing Chennai and Bengaluru, a section of Hyderabad’s real estate industry is now rallying for a change in the unlimited floor space index (FSI) norm, especially along the IT corridor. They fear that if this rule is not amended, the Hi-Tec City-Madhapur belt might soon run out of water and be pushed into a gridlock. Recently, motorists here were caught in a five-hour traffic jam following a bout of rainfall. Water levels, too, have dropped from 10 (approximately) metres to over 13 metres below ground level in this area, records reveal. Yet, Hyderabad is the only city in India offering unlimited FSI even as the national average hovers in the 2 to 2.5 range. This allows developers here to build as much as they wish on a piece of land. So, while builders in other cities cannot construct more than 2 to 2.5 lakh square feet (on an average) on a one-acre land parcel — the rest is earmarked as open area — in Hyderabad this can go up to a frightful 10 lakh sft or more. Result? Increased pressure on the ground leaving little room for water percolation and narrower roads resulting in massive traffic snarls.