The steel city is set to grow taller with urban local body Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) giving a nod to realtors for constructing G+4 buildings.

Till last week, JNAC used to sanction plans for only G+2 buildings in the already overcrowded city. The decision to sanction two additional floors was taken in the wake of a prod from chief minister Raghubar Das.

"Considering the land crisis in Jamshedpur, the chief minister had instructed that the civic body grant permission for G+4 buildings instead of G+2, a rule that was in vogue for a long time. Following the change in norm, people owning two-storey houses have started queuing up to get new building plans approved by the JNAC in accordance with the new system," special officer of JNAC Deepak Sahay told The Telegraph.

As many as 100 such applications have been received till now. They are in the process of being examined.

Hundreds of G+2 buildings exist in residential areas like Kadma, Bistupur, Sonari, Kagalnagar, Sakchi, Sitaramdera and Golmuri.

Many land owners, who wanted to develop their plots by giving it away to realtors for constructing residential apartments, would not go ahead with the plan because of the JNAC restrictions. This jacked up prices of flats, especially in the prime localities of Bistupur, Kagalnagar and Sakchi.

"In that respect, the new building rule of JNAC will definitely reduce the prices of residential apartments. A builder will now be able to add two additional floors, which means more flats," said Anup Ranjan, executive member, Builders' Association of India's Jamshedpur unit.

Land owners welcomed the decision.

Hardev Singh, one of the owners of a prime plot on L-Road in Bistupur, said now, they would be able to find a viable buyer.

"The land in question has many claimants in our family. We were finding it difficult to get a buyer as the rate we cited was considered to be too high. But after the JNAC changed the building rule and started allowing builders to construct four floors above the ground floor, several probable customers have approached us," Singh said.

A delegation of Builders' Association of India's Jamshedpur unit had met the chief minister in Ranchi this May, seeking relaxation in building plan rules approved by the urban civic body.

Das had assured the delegation that a positive step would be taken to address the problem.