The Maharashtra government has allowed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to consider limited relaxations to the two-staircase requirement for certain high-rise rehabilitation buildings that were already substantially under construction when the rules changed.
The Urban Development Department (UDD) has clarified that the relaxation can be considered on a case-by-case basis for buildings where more than 50% of construction had been completed under earlier approvals.
The move follows a request from the SRA seeking changes to Regulation 33(10) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) to permit some buildings above 70 metres to have a single staircase.
Under the earlier norms, buildings up to 70 metres were required to have a staircase at least 1.5 metres wide, along with a No Objection Certificate from the Chief Fire Officer. In 2021, the permissible height for SRA buildings was increased from 70 metres to 90 metres, subject to the condition that such taller structures have two staircases.
In its September 8 letter to SRA CEO Mahendra Kalyankar, the UDD said a blanket relaxation would not be appropriate from a safety perspective.
“Permitting buildings having a height of more than 70 metres and up to 90 metres to have a single staircase of a minimum width of 1.5 metres under Regulation 33(10) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations for Greater Mumbai 2034 would not be appropriate from the standpoint of public safety,” says the letter from the UDD. “Therefore, such a provision cannot be made applicable as a general rule. But in accordance with the revised provisions incorporated in Regulation 33(9) of DCPR on July 8, 2021, a provision has been incorporated for granting relaxation.”
The department further stated that where projects were sanctioned under the earlier regulations and more than half the construction had already been completed, relaxation could be considered after examining the work completed and the hardship caused by the subsequent regulatory change.
“there is no objection to granting relaxation on a case-to-case basis, provided that the development already carried out on site and the hardship arising therefrom are taken into consideration”.
Fire Safety Concerns Remain
The decision has raised concerns among fire-safety experts, particularly because a single staircase could limit evacuation options in tall buildings.
A former chief fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, speaking anonymously, said, “Only one staircase is definitely a fire hazard, but the UDD and SRA could have done this due to pressure from builders.”
The government’s decision therefore does not create a blanket exemption for all SRA towers above 70 metres. Instead, it provides a mechanism for individual projects to seek consideration where substantial construction had already taken place before the height and staircase requirements were amended.
The issue highlights the challenge of balancing fire safety, regulatory compliance and the practical difficulties faced by projects that were already under construction when development rules changed.
Source: Hindustan Times
