Guides

One cottah is about 720 sq ft, so a 3 cottah plot is about 2,160 sq ft. Under the WB Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007, ground coverage is 65% up to 200 sq m, so a G+2 house can reach about 4,200 sq ft. KMC and NKDA apply their own rules, so the road width and the authority decide.

Architect fees are a percentage of the cost of the works. The Council of Architecture scale lists 7.5% for an individual house, which is about ₹150 to ₹203 per sq ft at 2026 Kolkata build rates of ₹1,995 to ₹2,706. About 45% of the fee falls due by the tender-document stage.

An architect plans and designs the building, a structural engineer designs the frame, and a contractor builds it. In West Bengal municipalities the rules require a technical person of at least Licensed Building Surveyor rank for houses below 11.5 m, and a structural engineer above that. A contractor alone cannot sign the plan.

A bill of quantities (BOQ) is a priced list of every item of work with its unit, quantity, rate and amount, so each contractor quotes the same scope. The Government of India's works manual pays item rate contracts on measured quantity, usually within 15% of the BOQ quantity per item.

An NRI or OCI may buy non-agricultural property in India under RBI's Master Direction, and may be represented by an attorney under a power of attorney executed before a notary, magistrate or Indian consul and then stamped in West Bengal. Building authorities accept an authorised representative as applicant. Pay by stage against measured work.

In Guwahati the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority issues the planning permit and Guwahati Municipal Corporation the building permit, under the Assam Unified Building Construction (Regulation) Byelaws, 2022 and its amendments. The byelaws allow 30 days for the planning permit and 45 for the building permit. Residential buildings up to G+2 on plots up to 670 sq m can get an instant permit.

Siliguri needs two approvals. SJDA issues the Land Use Compatibility Certificate with a sanctioned site plan, valid one year, and Siliguri Municipal Corporation then sanctions the building plan under the West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007, which set a 60-day limit. A sanction lasts three years and can be renewed for two.

In a West Bengal municipality, an empanelled architect or LBS applies on the state OBPAS (e-Grihanaksha) under the WB Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007, which allow 60 days for a decision. In a gram panchayat area, the owner applies on the P&RD portal, and a Pradhan, Panchayat Samiti or Zilla Parishad officer grants permission by building size.

In Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits the permission to occupy is called the Completion Certificate. Other West Bengal municipalities and NKDA call it the Occupancy Certificate. Each needs a notice within one month of completion, an inspection within 15 days, and a structural stability certificate signed by the engineer.

In 2026 a house in Kolkata is priced at about ₹1,339 to ₹1,995 per sq ft for basic finish, ₹1,995 to ₹2,706 for standard and ₹2,704 to ₹3,792 for premium, per InfraLens. A lender's guide gives ₹1,800 to ₹2,600. Soil and foundation can move the figure by ₹300 to ₹500.

Under the KMC Building Rules, 2009 the FAR for a residential plot in Kolkata depends on the width of the road in front: 1.25 on a road of 2.4 to 3.5 m, 1.75 on 3.5 to 7 m, 2.25 on 9 to 15 m. Ground coverage is 60 per cent up to 200 sq m, and the height and setbacks also follow the road width and height.

Published 2026 figures for a 2BHK in Kolkata run from ₹6 to ₹14 lakh (₹700 to ₹1,600 per sq ft) at DesignCafe to ₹1,500 to ₹3,000 per sq ft at Livspace. A 3BHK is quoted at ₹7 to ₹15 lakh or more. Kitchen and wardrobes take about half the budget, and civil work, appliances and loose furniture are usually extra.

Choose an architect by checking the Council of Architecture registration number on coa.gov.in, looking at completed work and not only renders, agreeing scope by stage, cross-checking the fee against the CoA scale, and signing a written appointment letter. Under the Architects Act, 1972 only a registered architect may use the title.

A plot owner in Kolkata engages a KMC-empanelled architect or Licensed Building Surveyor, who files the plan online under the KMC Act, 1980 and the KMC Building Rules, 2009. Reported timelines range from 15 to 30 days for the fast track and 45 to 90 days from one vendor.

In New Town, the plan is sanctioned by NKDA under its Building Rules, 2009, applied for online through OBPAS by an enlisted architect and engineer. The rules allow 60 days from a complete application, 65% ground coverage on plots up to 3 cottah, and a maximum FAR of 2.5 for residential plots below 1,500 sq m.

Under rule 3(2) of the KMC Building Rules, 2009, repairs such as painting, plastering, reflooring, plumbing and internal partitions need no building permit, though some need 15 days' notice. Removing a wall, column or beam, adding area or height, or changing use is alteration and needs sanction. Vendor renovation rates in Kolkata run from ₹1,300 to ₹3,500 per sq ft.

A PMC is an independent professional or firm appointed to manage a project's delivery on the owner's behalf: scheduling, tender support, quality checks, measurement and bill certification. A PMC does not design or build, and there is no fixed tariff. Fees are a percentage of project cost or a fixed sum.

Only minor deviations can be regularised in West Bengal. A December 2023 notification defines minor as up to 5 per cent on internal dimensions or covered area and up to 10 per cent on height, with fees of 10 to 80 per cent of the I.G.R. value of the deviated area. Extra floors and larger breaches face demolition, and courts have warned against regularising after the fact.

Site supervision means checking, at fixed stages, that the building is made as drawn and specified. IS 456:2000 sets minimum curing at seven days for ordinary Portland cement and a sampling rule of one cube set per 5 cubic metres of concrete. In West Bengal the architect or LBS and the structural engineer carry duties on site.

Kolkata's ground is soft alluvial clay, so a soil investigation under IS 1892 comes before the foundation design. One New Town report found about 16 m of soft clay with the water table at 3.5 to 4.3 m. Small houses often take isolated footings or a raft, and heavier or taller ones take piles, as the geotechnical report decides.

In an item-rate contract you pay unit rates for measured work, and quantities can vary by about 15 per cent per item before rates are revised. In a lump sum or turnkey contract the contractor carries quantity risk for a fixed scope and is paid by milestone. In a labour-only contract you buy the materials and carry that risk yourself.