DDA agrees to increase floor area ratio of hotels

The DDA has decides to give in to the demand of the hotel industry to increase the FAR of hotels, reports Moushumi Das Gupta.

With an acute shortage of hotel rooms in the Capital and failing to sell its hotel plots, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has finally decided to give in to the demand of the hotel industry to increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of all the existing as well as upcoming hotels.

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The DDA sent the proposal to the Urban Development (UD) Ministry last month for approval.

At present 150 FAR is allowed for hotels, the DDA has proposed to increase it to 225. The increased FAR would generate an additional 2,400 rooms in the Capital.

Presently there are 8,500 rooms in the existing hotels. These include 6,000 rooms in the hotels that have come up on independent plots. “It is these independent plots that will directly benefit from the increased FAR,” said a UD ministry official.

According to DDA officials, the proposed enhancement of FAR would not be applicable to hotels falling in Lutyen’s Bungalow zone.

“It will only be applicable to independent hotel plots,” said an official.

Despite the urgency to build more hotel rooms in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, representatives from the hospitality industry are peeved at the urban development ministry’s slow pace in finalising the proposal.

“We are already way behind schedule to add the required number of rooms to accommodate the one lakh tourists that are expected during the Games. Any further delay would only aggravate the problem,” said Rajendra Kumar, president of the Hotel Association of Northern India.

“If it comes too late, it will serve no purpose. We in the hospitality sector have done all our homework. But our hands are tied till the time the proposal is notified,” Kumar added.

The UD ministry had recently sent a letter to the DDA seeking further clarification about the proposal.

“The ministry wanted certain information and we have given our reply. We are also waiting for the ministry’s approval,” said a DDA official.

Delhi has 10,000 approved rooms in both the star and budget category. The International Olympic Association has said Delhi will in need about 40,000 rooms during the Commonwealth Games.