Hospital projects hit by 45m vertical limit

Ahmedabad: Close to five major hospital projects worth crores of rupees have hit a wall in the city due to a height problem.

In the past one year, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has not approved any proposal for hospital buildings that exceed 45m in height, all due to a technical logjam.

The tragic Rajkot TRP game zone fire last May prompted fire safety authorities to implement the Gujarat Fire Safety CoP portal. This mandatory online system based on the National Building Code requires all building plans to receive fire safety approval before construction can proceed.

This is where the hurdle lies. The portal's 45m height restriction for hospitals directly contradicts Gujarat govt's 2011 Hospital Policy, which allows healthcare facilities in major cities of the state to reach 70m.

"For any building plan approval in Ahmedabad, a fire NOC from the state portal is mandatory," an AMC official said, adding, "Although the portal was intended to serve safety concerns, its interface makes no provision to upload special cases like plans for hospital buildings above 45m. Developers have approached the municipal corporation for resolution."

The impasse has affected multiple projects, including hospital expansions and plans to demolish outdated healthcare facilities to make way for modern high-rise structures.

Confirming that more than five proposals are stuck in the pipeline, an AMC sources official said, "High-rise hospital projects can move forward once a policy decision is made regarding the height restriction issue," and suggested that exceptional cases may receive approvals from fire authorities pending process modifications on the portal.

The tallest hospital in Ahmedabad currently is the civic-run SVP Hospital in Ellisbridge, standing at 69.84m with multiple basement levels and 17 floors. Among private facilities, Zydus Hospital on SG Road in Thaltej reaches 63.7m with 15 floors above ground level.

The 2011 Hospital Policy, which increased the floor space index (FSI) to encourage taller private hospital buildings, has yielded limited results over its 14-year implementation.

Only seven hospitals — two govt and five private — received approvals under this policy, with just six currently operational and one under construction.

Under the policy, hospitals require a minimum 5,000 sq m plot size for an FSI of 3.5 to 4. However, stakeholders argue that reducing the threshold to 3,000 sq m could encourage more hospitals, especially in urban areas where land is scarce.

"Allowing chargeable FSI could further incentivise construction of much-needed medical infrastructure," the AMC official added.