The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on Tuesday issued Standardised Development and Building Regulations, 2023 to set forth a comprehensive framework aimed at ensuring safety, accessibility, and sustainability in construction.

Aligned with the National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC 2016) and drawing inspiration from best global practices, the regulations are published in a special publication and mark a significant stride towards revolutionising India’s built environment, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said.

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The document is a beacon of uniformity, designed to streamline structuring and detailing of the development and building regulations of the states and Union territories, as well as to streamline the building regulatory system across the nation while accommodating the specific needs of individual states, Union territories (UTs), and local bodies.

The genesis of these standardised regulations lies in a meticulous project aimed at promoting the adoption of NBC 2016 nationwide. The initiative involved an exhaustive study of existing rules and regulations across the country, coupled with a comparative analysis of international best practices governing land and building development.

Workshops and discussions held nationwide gathered input and feedback, all of which were successfully integrated into the final document.

What sets the document apart is its user-friendly approach. Crafted in plain language for clarity, the regulations eliminate ambiguity, ensuring a seamless adoption process. The comprehensive content, complemented by various forms and checklists, facilitates easy understanding.

Visual aids, including illustrations and flowcharts, enhance comprehension, while explanatory notes underscore key aspects. Standardised numbering further eases translation into different languages.

The forward-looking nature of this document is evident in its incorporation of new-age ideas and concepts. Addressing elements such as EV charging stations, wind electricity generators, transferable development rights, transit oriented development, high security areas, retirement homes, the regulations embrace innovation.
The key beneficiaries of the document are the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) under MoHUA; State and Union Territory Governments; Local Bodies (LBs), both urban and rural; Development Authorities (DAs); Cantonment Boards and Port Trusts; Zila and Gram Panchayats; and other organisations involved in the development of built environment.

To ensure it is accessible to all, the document is easy to understand, adopt/adapt, implement and comply with. The structuring of the chapters and the document has been done in the order of the development process for the most part. This makes the document a cogent continuous volume.

Explanatory notes have been outlined at the beginning of each chapter to brief the users about the contents therein, in the form of major highlights.

To enable easy navigation through the document and easy identification of the regulations, items, clauses, sub-clauses, tables, figures, annexes, etc have been duly numbered in a standardised manner.