Blurb: Amendments to Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations will not allow PG facilities in new apartments and commercial complexesAhmedabad: State govt is changing rules to reject plans for mixed apartment-and-PG constructions, and to bar PG facilities in new apartments and commercial complexes.The term “Paying Guest” has never appeared in Gujarat’s urban planning rulebook. But on July 28, the state’s urban development and housing department initiated the process to amend Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (CGDCR).The amendment will include the PG classification and define construction rules for preschools. The department has issued a public notification and has invited citizens’ objections and suggestions until Oct 3.Under the proposed amended CGDCR, PG facilities will be governed by the Dwelling 3 (DW3) category rules and approved only as standalone constructions.The proposed amendments classify preschools under the new “Education-1” category.“Construction will be permitted on plots with a minimum area of 200 sq m and up to 1,000 sq m, with a minimum built-up area of 50 sq m and a permissible height of up to 12m,” states the notification.Preschools will be allowed within bungalow schemes in residential areas — but not in residential apartment schemes.“For the first time since the CGDCR was introduced across all Gujarat cities in 2017, dedicated construction regulations for PG accommodations and preschools are being formally written into the state’s planning manual,” said a senior official. “That will end years of regulatory ambiguity that led to sealings, legal disputes, and enforcement confusion in Ahmedabad.”The 2017 CGDCR did not mention PGs at all. The civic body’s PG 2025 guidelines were based on hostel and boarding construction rules.“These rules did not define what a PG facility was,” said a senior AMC official.In all, 401 PG units operated in the city until 2025, when a BJP Rajya Sabha member raised the issue at an MP-MLA Coordination Committee meeting.The Rajya Sabha member demanded action against illegal operators.In the ensuing drive, AMC served notices to 385 PG units operating without police and society NOCs, and sealed over 25 accommodations across residential societies.The regulatory basis for this has been contested. Two years ago, AMC sealed several preschools operating in residential units across Ahmedabad.“These were unsealed only after undertakings to adhere to rules were submitted,” the AMC official said. “The amended CGDCR now provides a legal framework for what was previously operating in a rulebook vacuum.”The state first introduced a development plan-linked GDCR for Ahmedabad in Dec 2014. The unified CGDCR covering all urban areas followed in 2017. The current round of amendments is being undertaken before Ahmedabad’s development plan 2041 is approved.BOXBY THE NUMBERSIndicatorFigurePG units identified citywide (2025)401No. of units sent notices for missing NOCs385PG units sealed (2025–26)25+Hostel plan approvals (FY 2025–26)15Previous annual hostel approvals4–5Minimum plot size for preschools200 sq mMaximum plot size for preschools1,000 sq mMinimum built-up area for preschools50 sq mMaximum permissible height (preschools)12mPublic objection deadlineOct 3
