The Tamil Nadu Hilly Areas Special Building Rules, 1981 1

THE TAMIL NADU HILLY AREAS SPECIALBUILDING RULES, 1981

(G.O. Ms. No. 125, Rural Development and LocalAdministration, dated 30th January 1982)

(Published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, Part III, Section 1(a), Page 55, dated 30th January, 1982)

No. SRO A-82/82.— In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 191 and sub-section (1) of Section 303 of the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 (Tamil Nadu Act V of 1920), the Governor of Tamil Nadu hereby makes the following rules :-

1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (a) These rules may be called the Tamil Nadu Hilly Areas Special Building Rules, 1981.

(b) They shall apply to the Municipalities, Townships and Town Panchayats to which the provisions of Chapters IX and X of the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920 (Tamil Nadu Act V of 1920) have been extended and lying in the hilly areas listed in the Schedule appended to those rules.

(c) They shall apply to new constructions, reconstruction, addition and alteration to an existing building :

Provided that in the case of additions to an existing building, they shall apply to the additions only.

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(d) They shall apply in addition to the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Building Rules, 1972 applicable to the area.

(d) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Building Rules, 1972 these special rules shall apply and in case of inconsistency between these special rules and the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Building Rules, 1972, the special rules will prevail.

(d) They shall come into force from the date of publication of this notification in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette.

2. Site requirements .- (a) No site having a gradient steeper than one vertical to two horizontal shall be used for construction of any building. In cases where the slope is steeper upto 1 in 1.5 if riveting by stone masonry is done to the satisfaction of the Executive Authority, building construction can be permitted in the form of stepped construction each step shall be not less than 4 metres in length. In all the cases adequate number of drainage holes shall be incorporated to the satisfaction of the Executive Authority so that at all times the site is properly drained.

(b) No site consisting of made up soil shall be used for construction of a building unless it is properly consolidated and protected on the unsupported boundaries with revetments or retaining wall to prevent land slides.

(c) No site falling within the geologically weak zone notified by the District Collector shall be used for the construction of any building.

3. Means of Access .— (a) Any plot intended for construction of residential building, which is not abutting directly on a public orprivate street, shall have access from such public or private street through a pathway. The minimum width of such pathway shall be 1 metre for a length upto 10 metres and 1.5 metres for length upto 30 metres.

(b) The pathway mentioned in sub-rule (a) shall be formed with a gradient not steeper than 1 in 10 or provided with steps for easy means of access to the plot.

(c) Access to plots beyond 30 metres from a public or private street, the width of such access way shall be not less than 3.5 metres starting from the public or private street. The gradient of such access shall be not steeper than 1 in 1.5.

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4. Open Spaces (a) Front Space :— Plots made out of excavated slope on compacted fill slope, the building shall be set back from out of fill slopes by a distance of not less than 1.5 metres.

(b) Aggregate Open Space:— Where a building whether attached or detached and wholly or partly intended for human habitation, an open space of not less than 1/4th of the area of the site shall be left as vacant space open to the sky.

4. Height of Building .— (a) The height of building shall be measured with reference to the average level of the central line of the street in front.

(b) Plots not abutting a street or plot below or above the level of the street, the height shall be measured with reference to the level of the building site :

Provided that the height of the building shall not exceed 1'/2 times the width of the street from which the plot gains access.

5. Revetments .— The revetments or retaining wall forming part ofthe site or building development shall be designed by a qualified engineer and executed to the satisfaction of the Eexecutive Authority.

5. Parts of Building.- (a) Foundation - Building more than 15 metres height shall be built directly on rock or on pile foundation.

(b) Habitable Room : The height shall not be less than 2.4 metres for flat roof and not less than 2.1 metres at the eaves for sloping roofs.

(c) Roofs : The roof slope shall be not less than 1 in 4 for pitched roofs: the same slope shall be applicable to lean to roofs: Roofs shall also be properly constructed to drain the rain water through a down pipe system.

(b) Kitchen : The height of a kitchen shall be not less than 2.4 metres for the flat roofs and not less than 2.1 metres to the eaves for sloping roofs.

(d) Attic : The average height of attic shall be not less than 1.5metre.

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8. Lighting and Ventilation .— Windows and ventilators provided in a room for ventilation shall have an area of not less than one-tenth of the floor area of the room.

8. Conformity to the National Building Code, 1970 .— All aspects of Structural Design Constructional Practices and Safety, Building Services and Plumbing Services shall conform to Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII and Part IX of the Building Code of India, 1970 respectively.

1[10. Approval by Architectural and Aesthetic Aspects Committee.— No permission shall be-granted for construction or reconstruction of building abutting important roads, as maybe specified by the Government in the local bodies in the hilly areas mentioned in the Schedule or within a distance of two hundred metres from the boundaries of the lakes at Udagamandalam, Kodaikanal and Yercaud unless such building or building sites are approved by the Architectural and Aesthetic Aspects Committee by the Government for such local bodies.]

2[11. Levelling of land for construction, cultivation or otherwise .—The owners of land in lower elevation at the time of levelling their land for construction, cultivation or otherwise should not weaken the existing revetments, retaining wall, construction or building of the higher elevation, but should strengthen the retaining wall or revetments to the satisfaction of the Executive Authority].

_________________________________1. Rule 10 added by SRO - A-24/86-MA & WS, dated 3rd January 1986.

2. Rule 11 added by SRO - A-59 / 90-MA & WS, dated 22nd March 1990.

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