Karnataka govt excludes stilt floors from building height calculation to promote in-premise parking
Bengaluru: In a bid to promote parking within private premises, the Karnataka government has issued a significant amendment to its building regulations, excluding stilt floors used for parking from the overall calculation of a building’s height.
As per a recent government notification, cited by Deccan Herald on Monday, the maximum permissible height for stilt floors has been capped at 3 metres, replacing an earlier proposal of 4.5 metres. The initial draft was revised following public feedback over concerns of potential misuse for commercial purposes.
Previously, the permissible stilt floor height was limited to 2.4 metres—considered insufficient by many, particularly due to frequent damage by vehicles to water and sanitary pipelines affixed to the ceilings. The new rules apply to properties falling within the jurisdiction of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), and are part of a broader set of revisions related to building height, stilt floor usage, and setback norms.
One of the key takeaways from the notification is that the stilt floor (measured from floor to floor) will now be excluded from the building’s height limit, allowing developers to construct stilt (ground) plus four floors, while still adhering to the existing 15-metre cap on building height.
Advocate Suhas Ananth Rajkumar flagged a possible inconsistency in the regulation. “One clause caps the building height at 15 metres, while another excludes the stilt floor from this calculation. This could be interpreted as permitting stilt plus five floors, resulting in a total height of up to 18 metres. If this isn’t the government’s intention, it must issue a clarification," DH quoted him as saying.
To prevent misuse, particularly in a city like Bengaluru where enforcement remains a challenge, the notification has prescribed compliance conditions: stilt floors must be used solely for parking. In cases of violations, civic authorities have been empowered to deny water and electricity connections to residential buildings and revoke trade licenses for establishments.
Speaking on the rationale behind the decision, Tushar Girinath, Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, said the changes are designed to discourage parking of vehicles on roads. "We have exempted the stilt floor from total height calculation to make it attractive for the property owners to create parking space within his or her compound. The earlier proposal for a 4.5-metre stilt was dropped as many raised concerns about potential misuse,” DH quoted Girinath as saying.
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Rupee rises 42 paise to close at 91.51 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee gained 42 paise to close at 91.51 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, a day after the Union Budget 2026-27 was presented, largely as crude oil prices retreated from their elevated levels.
Forex traders said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seemed to be defending the 92 per dollar level with a lot of resolve.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 91.95 against the US dollar, then gained some ground to touch an intraday high of 91.45 and a low of 91.95 against the greenback.
At the end of the trading session on Monday, the rupee was quoted at 91.51 (provisional) against the greenback, registering a gain of 42 paise from its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee hit a record low of 92.02 before ending 6 paise higher at 91.93 against the US dollar.
For the rupee, the Budget offered reassurance, not relief, and the government's high borrowing plan is likely to weigh on investor sentiments going ahead.
The government is likely to borrow Rs 17.2 lakh crore in the next financial year to fund its fiscal deficit projected at 4.3 per cent of the GDP.
"Overall, it looks like a prudent budget, focusing on continuity. Given the geopolitical uncertainties and challenges, it seems the government it seems has chosen to go a bit slow on fiscal consolidation," IFA Global said in a research note.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.09 per cent higher at 97.07.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 4.46 per cent lower at USD 66.23 per barrel in futures trade, as the US and Iran were talking about avoiding US strikes on Iranian soil.
The oil prices had touched USD 72 per barrel after traders expected a US strike on Iran during the weekend.
"As the Budget volatility subsides, the Indian rupee and domestic equities have emerged as regional outperformers. A combination of cooling commodity prices, enhanced fiscal control, large forex reserves and suspected corporate dollar selling has provided a tailwind for the local currency," Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, said.
In the near term, the USD-INR spot is likely to consolidate within a tight range, finding support at 91.10 and facing resistance near 91.85, Parmar added.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 943.52 points to settle at 81,666.46, while the Nifty surged 262.95 points to 25,088.40.
On Sunday, equity markets reacted negatively to the FY27 Budget as it proposed a higher securities transaction tax on derivatives and changes to buyback taxation, raising concerns over increased costs for investors.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 588.34 crore on Sunday, according to exchange data.
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