Haryana panel gives nod to construction of S+4 floors, with riders

However, in case of  the existing sectors, the committee has suggested to limit the S+4 floor construction to certain blocks where the roads are 12 metres wide and there is scope to augment infrastructure. For the existing sectors where building plans of such S+4 floor construction buildings were put on hold, the committee has suggested formulation of standard operating procedures for carrying out an infrastructure capacity audit to include availability of services including drainage, water supply, scope to infrastructure upgrade and defined time periods within which it would be upgraded.

Deputy Commissioners have been authorised to clear such approvals in existing sectors after getting the audit reports verified. In the last three months, the committee interacted with a cross section of people and held discussions with various stakeholders on their apprehensions of damage to adjoining buildings due to S+4 floor constructions. following this, the committee has suggested that the S+4 floor construction should be an independent building that does not overload the common wall of the adjoining houses.

In order to cater to the apprehensions raised by stakeholders on blocking of sunlight and issues of privacy due to these S+4 constructions, the committee has suggested that the building height be reduced from permissible 16.5 metres to 15 metres. The committee has also suggested constituting the quick response teams to curb misuse of stilt parking and disallowing enclosing of this space.

For those S+4 floor where construction has already been approved, the committee has also recommended that an infrastructure audit should also be carried out. The cost of any damage caused to the adjoining houses be recovered from the plot owners responsible and the amount should be passed on to the affected plot owners.

Former Army chief General VP Malik (Retd), a resident of Panchkula had been leading the Resident Welfare associations and various other stakeholders in their opposition to the S+4 floor constructions. Calling the ‘S+4 houses’ concept in Haryana a “blatant attempt to give backdoor entry” to people with vested interests, Gen Malik and various other RWAs had been vehemently opposing state government’s permissions for S+4 floor constructions.

Paying heed to the Panchkula residents’ demand, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta had earlier urged Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to put S+4 floor constructions on hold and get the issue examined in wake of the concerns raised.