BIS hosts workshop to promote draft development and building regulations

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India’s National Standards Body, conducted a two-day Workshop on Draft Development and Building Regulations, 2022 for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The event took place on September 26-27, 2023, in New Delhi, with the following key objectives:

a) Disseminate the Draft Development and Building Regulations, aligning them with the National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC 2016) and international best practices, to enhance efficiency and transparency in building regulation.

b) Establish consistency in structuring and detailing regulatory provisions and key approval processes nationwide, while accommodating specific regional needs of states and union territories.

c) Promote orderly development, safety, sustainability, durability, and accessibility in buildings and the built environment.

The draft regulations have been meticulously organized to ensure clarity and prevent multiple interpretations when adopted by states and urban local bodies. This structured document will facilitate effective implementation by building professionals and regulatory authorities. The methodology involved an extensive review of existing regulatory mechanisms, aligning them with NBC 2016 and international practices to formulate standardized regulations. Individual documents have been prepared for each state and union territory for consideration and adoption.

The Workshop saw active participation from various government departments, including the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), Gurugram, and several central ministries such as New Delhi Municipal Committee, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Fire Services, Department of Archaeology (GNCTD), Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Central Electricity Authority, National Highways Authority of India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, IRICEN (Railways), Central Public Works Department, NBCC (India) Ltd, National Institute of Urban Affairs, and School of Planning and Architecture.

Participants welcomed the initiative and provided valuable suggestions, including specifying maximum parking area limits based on occupancy types, defining custodians for buffer zones, addressing IoT-based fire and life safety technologies in buildings, among others.

Mr. Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General of BIS, emphasized that the adoption of these regulations would streamline approval processes, ensuring their proper implementation for safe and sustainable development. He stressed the importance of capacity building for building professionals and officials in the Town and Country Planning Department to stay updated with evolving standards and codes. BIS pledged support for such initiatives and highlighted its commitment to standardization in Town and Country Planning practices across India.

Mr. V. Suresh, Chairman of the National Building Code Sectional Committee (CED 46) and Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of the NBC Promotion Project, delivered the keynote address during the Workshop. He underscored the importance of applying the provisions in the Standardized Building Regulations prepared by BIS by the concerned authorities.