City curbs highrises due to radar restriction

Enjoying the breeze in the living room of an apartment on the 40th or 50th floor of a highrise still remains a dream for Chennaiites -- and it doesn't make a difference even if you have the money to put up the entire building on your own.
While metropolitan cities the world over are sprouting skyscrapers like mushrooms in the monsoon, in Chennai they remain prohibited. And the reason, believe it or not, is an innocuous radar set up by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) atop the Port Trust building in the harbour. The Doppler instrument, a sophisticated device used to forecast weather -- it can detect a cyclone at a distance of 500 km -- needs a clear line of path for its echoes to reflect back from the atmosphere.
Since it is currently positioned at a height of 50 metres, it is not possible for the administration to allow structures much taller than that in the city. The maximum height of buildings in the city is thus restricted to 60 metres. Arihant Majestic Towers in Koyambedu (60 metres) is the tallest existing building. Outside the city though, government has just given permission to construct a 29-storey (108 metres) tower for True Value Homes on the IT Highway.
Tamil Nadu chief secretary L K Tripathy, in a high-level meeting convened on February 28 this year, had taken serious note of the height restriction. When other states were permitting construction of multi-storeyed buildings of greater heights, buildings in Chennai should not be forced to restrict theirs, he pointed out, while asking the IMD to shift its radar to an appropriate spot where it would get the necessary altitude and still not be in the way as a construction constraint. The meeting, among others, was attended by the director of IMD, W B Gopal.
Responding to Tripathy's observations, the IMD has now come forward to shift the radar. Gopal told TOI, "We have no problem in shifting the radar. We have sought the state government's help to relocate the radar." The next step will be to identify a suitable location.
The government has in principle agreed to the IMD request. Tripathy told TOI, "Tamil Nadu government will help IMD relocate the radar at the earliest. Radars are a must for the state. When the IMD installed radars first about 20 years ago, the Port Trust building was the tallest in the region. Since we have better options now, we are hopeful of finding a solution to this issue soon. Once it is shifted, permission for construction of tall buildings will be given in accordance with other development rules that govern the city."
Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association (CREDAI) Tamil Nadu unit president Prakash Chella felt that apart from lifting the IMD restriction, the government needed to increase floor space index (FSI). If the height alone was increased, the cost of construction would go up. However, if FSI is also increased, the cost per apartment would fall, he said. Highrises offer advantages such as more open space (as they occupy only 25 per cent of the land area as against 60 to 75 percent occupied by smaller buildings), better landscaping, more distance between buildings, increased ventilation and use of more glass to allow natural light in. In a survey conducted by University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong city, 84% of the residents felt the main attraction for living in a highrise was the view it provided. Other advantages include a quiet environment, and roof-top club rooms.

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