S+4 structure: Former Army Chief Gen Malik seeks probe on why Haryana bureaucracy allows violations in construction

The Haryana government is all set to approve the construction of S+4 floors in new sectors where the infrastructure can cater to a density of 18 persons per plot. The expert committee headed by retired IAS officer P Raghvendra Rao, which was constituted in March to look into the aspect, submitted its report in this regard to the state government Friday.

Reacting to the report, General Malik told The Indian Express, “After reading news reports, on the face of it, the panel’s report looks encouraging to me since most of our concerns have been addressed. We will analyse the report – which we may get by next week – in depth and then will be able to comment further.”

He added, “But after reading the auditor’s observations also, I need to ask what has made them deviate from it. Will they carry out an investigation on the same? Why is the bureaucracy violating them or permitting them to be violated? This needs to be investigated. Why are we carrying out things which are not in the interest of the public? That has come out more from the auditor.”

“It is important that we also take note of the observations that this move is endangering the undivided interest of an apartment owner in common facilities as well as land appurtenant to the building,” Gen Malik said.

He stated that he also came to know that the revenue collected as duty, which was meant for augmentation of infrastructure, was not transferred to the user agencies as pointed out by the audit.

Following a signature campaign taken up by Gen Malik on the issue of rampant apartmentalisation in Haryana, the government had formed a panel to look into the policy while keeping it in abeyance since February.

He had also pointed out that the Haryana Building Code is “clearly a poor dilution of the National Building Code (NBC) norms” and that the policy was ” a blatant attempt to give backdoor entry to people with vested interests for the financial gains of a few, including the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), while commercialising townships and ruining the sanity of the unsuspecting residents.”

Before the panel’s report was submitted, he had said that the “HSVP has failed to take action to mitigate grievances of residents who have suffered heavy damages due to the constructions next door”.