Plant a tree for every 240 sq.m. to get occupancy certificates, says govt.

If the Urban Development Department (UDD) goes ahead with its plan, builders will compulsorily have to plant trees to get Occupancy Certificates (OC).

The draft regulations issued by the UDD to amend the Zoning Regulations of Bengaluru of the Revised Master Plan – 2015 state that in the case of apartment buildings, group housing or multi-dwelling units, one tree shall be planted for every 240 sq.m. of Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The authorities concerned will have to ensure that the trees are planted before the issuance of OC.

“The authorities shall ensure that the trees are at least 2 metres in height, before the issuance of occupancy certificate. The tree shall be planted in the setback area along the periphery of the site or area reserved for parks or open spaces or along the roads as avenue plantation, excluding the drive way,” the draft regulations issued recently state.

The regulations further state that in case of layouts, in addition to site-level mandatory plantation, the developer should carry out plantation at the rate of 40 trees per hectare and proportionately for every additional extent of land or plot area.

The draft regulations also say that planting of minimum one tree is mandatory for a site measuring 180 sq.m. up to 240 sq.m., and minimum of two trees for sites with more than 240 sq.m. The owners of big dimension sites will plant trees only in the rear setback area.

A senior Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) official said that earlier, it was mandatory to plant one tree for a site measuring more than 2,400 sq.ft. and a minimum of two trees for a site measuring more than 4,000 sq.ft. “Earlier, though we had some rules, they were vague. This time, we have covered all builders with stringent rules. Occupancy certificates will be issued to residential buildings only after builders make sure that trees are planted in the required number. Now, we can see only concrete jungles. The new rules will help in increasing the green cover. In addition, in newly formed layouts, 40 trees per hectare have to be planted in addition to reserving space for parks as per the rule,” said the official, adding that the State government would take a final call on the proposed rules after going through objections and suggestions from the public.