Shoma Patnaik
Panaji: Multi-storied industrial buildings may soon become a reality in the state, with the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) moving towards unlocking factory space in industrial estates through higher floor-area- ratio (FAR).
On Thursday, GIDC managing director Pravimal Abhishek said the file to double the FAR for construction in industrial estates to 3 from the current 1.5 has been submitted to the government and is awaiting approval.
He said the proposal to raise the FAR was under consideration for some time in view of the limited availability of land to industries.
“Higher FAR will make industries more viable. It offers a solution to the issue of land crunch the state is facing. It will also help the logistics industry and IT& ITes sector to develop, both of which have been given industry status lately,” said Abhishek.
He pointed out that the logistics industry requires warehouses with vertical stacking and IT companies, including data centres, need higher buildings and, therefore, more FAR.
The GIDC managing director said that flatted factories are already present in Goa’s industrial estates with manufacturing taking place on two floors.
Minor work undertaken on the first floor and production carried out on the ground floor.
Increased FAR is expected to add value to the industrial land.
The Union government is urging states to liberalise building regulations for industries by relaxing setback and FAR laws. Smaller states like Goa have been asked to look at the best practices in easing regulations.
Factories with multiple floors are the trend in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and other states. In Hyderabad, the Telangana government has permitted unlimited FAR in IT hubs, which has led to the rise of skyscraper office buildings.
“Goa will not go by the model followed by the large states of allowing high-rise industries. The GIDC will take a reasonable approach to FAR in industrial estates, looking at the small size and ecology of the state,” said Abhishek.
The GIDC has less than 1% of the total land of Goa. It does not have large tracts of land to offer to the industry. “Higher FAR allows us to maximise the utilisation of the limited land,” he said.
