Open to suggestions to improve building bylaws: Nitish

The Bihar government was open to suggestions to improve Bihar Building By-laws, 2013, but there would be no compromise on safety measures, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today.
The legislation about the new building by-laws has been made public soliciting suggestions from the people and other stakeholders and it would be vetted before a final decision by the Cabinet, Urban Development Secretary S Siddharth said after Kumar's meeting with industrialists and builders here.
Siddharth said the Chief Minister was of the view that there could not be one by-law for the entire state for the construction sector because of different reasons and directed officials to frame laws for different regions on the basis of needs.

Reminding realtors about the massive collateral damage caused by earthquake in Bhuj in 2001, Kumar said casualties took place because of collapse of buildings and new construction technologies were required.
Builders urged the Chief Minister to grant industry status to the construction sector and set up the Regional Development Authority to prevent unplanned construction.
They also urged the state government to adopt a flexible attitude on the Floor Area Ratio in view population density of the state capital and other towns.
The Chief Minister asked them to take the urbanisation ratio in Bihar to 20 per cent from 11 per cent at present.