Analysis of the Delhi-Unified Buildings Bye Laws 2016 with respect to the integration of provisions of the National Building Code

Abstract

The National Building Code has been created by the Bureau of Indian Standards and has been developed right since 1965, on the basis of recommendations to have uniform building guidelines which are updated regularly as improvements in the industry keep happening. But the National Building Code, as an advisory has to be adopted by the various land owning agencies and the municipalities in the state to make it binding. In Delhi, the Unified Building Bye Laws 2016 are applicable to 5 municipalities, which have to compulsorily enforce the bye law for sanctioning building permits within their jurisdictions. This paper analyses, clause by clause, the various provisions of the National Building Code, 2016 that have been adopted in the Unified Building Bye Laws, 2016 and thus made mandatory by law. It has been found that not all of the parts of the National Building Code have been adopted, but certain sections dealing with lighting, ventilation, water supply, drainage and structural design have been adopted and made mandatory universally. There is a need to give universal statutory backing to all the provisions the National Building Code as these are created by nationally renowned experts. Another advantage is that all the energies can be channelized on creating one document for the whole country instead of multiple local byelaws with variations and delays in updating the same.