BIS issues revised standards for building construction

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued 'Standardised Development and Building Regulations, 2023, which aims at ensuring safety, accessibility, and sustainability in building construction.

The new regulations, published in Special Publication SP 73: 2023, is seen as a significant stride towards revolutionising India's built environment.

The revised regulations are aligned with the National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC 2016) and includes standards based on global best practices.

These regulations set forth a comprehensive framework for bringing in uniformity of building construction across states and union territories by streamlining building regulations across the nation, while accommodating the specific needs of individual states, union territories and local bodies.

The standardised regulations have been formulated after 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 were held nationwide in order to gather inputs and feedbacks. These have since been integrated into the final document.

The comprehensive content, complemented by various forms and checklists, facilitates easy understanding, including through visual aids, such as illustrations and flowcharts, to enhance comprehension as well as explanatory notes.

The new regulations incorporate new age ideas and concepts such as EV charging stations, wind electricity generators, transferable development rights, transit oriented development, high security areas, retirement homes, making them forward-looking while providing scope for innovation.

Key beneficiaries of these regulations include:

• Ministry of housing and urban affairs and its town and country planning organisation;
• State and union territory governments;
• Local bodies - both urban and rural;
• Development authorities;
• Cantonment boards and port trusts;
• Zila and gram panchayats; and
• Other organisations involved in the development of built environment.

The document is easy to understand, adopt/adapt, implement and comply with and is easily accessible to all, says a housing ministry release.