The plot that waited: Purbachal's +0.5 FAR and a six-month clock

In Purbachal there are plots where the grass has grown for years. Fenced, paid for, and waiting. Let me tell the story of one of them, as an illustration. Call the owners Nasrin apa and her husband.

They had been allotted 5 katha in Purbachal long ago. Life got in the way: a son abroad, a retirement, a house in the city that was enough for now. "Some day," they said. The plot waited.

In October 2026 the news came, and Nasrin apa called us the same evening. "Is it true? Should we hurry?"

What changed

The government has amended the Detailed Area Plan (DAP). Residential plots of at least 334.45 m², which is 5 katha, in the Purbachal and Jhilmil projects now get an additional 0.5 FAR on top of their existing allowance.

What 0.5 means on the ground

Numbers like 0.5 sound small on paper. On her plot of about 3,600 sq ft, 0.5 FAR adds about 1,800 sq ft of floor area. On a 10-katha plot, it adds about 3,600 sq ft.

For Nasrin apa, that was not a number. It was one more floor. Perhaps the flat her son might come home to one day.

The six-month clock

The incentive comes with two conditions:

1. Submit plans to RAJUK within six months, starting 15 October 2026. That window closes in mid-April 2027.
2. Build up to plinth level within one year of final approval. Miss it, and the plan approval fee is charged 20 times over.

Some reports describe the first condition as plans approved, not just submitted, within the six months. Read the gazette for your plot and submit early rather than late.

Under the 2025 rules, RAJUK has 30 days to decide on a planning permit, longer for large or special buildings. But a good submission needs a proper design behind it, and a design needs time. Six months is shorter than it looks.

Hurry, but do not rush

"So we should rush?" she asked. No. We should start. There is a difference.

Rushing is drawing the biggest box the rules allow and calling it a building. Starting is sitting down in the first week and answering the right questions:

• Is the plot 5 katha or more, and residential?
• How wide is the road in front of it, and which road is wider if there are two?
• What do the new numbers give: floor area, floors, unit mix, parking and cost?
• If you are in a joint venture, do the numbers both sides signed on still hold? The extra area changes them.
• Can the design be ready to submit well before the window closes?

What the plot was waiting for

Nasrin apa's plot had waited for years. It could not wait any longer, but it did not need to be rushed either. The extra floor is only worth having if the building works: homes with light and air, sensible parking, and a plan that sells. The incentive rewards speed. It should not cost the building its quality.

Check your plot's allowable FAR in our free FAR Calculator, then talk to SLATE about a feasibility study and design.