The expert committee formed by the Haryana government to examine issues pertaining to the construction of stilt-plus-four floors buildings has received around 26,000 suggestions and objections over the issue, officials privy to the development said.
They said that the four-member expert committee is also expected to hold meetings with stakeholders and also conduct field surveys next month to examine the pros and cons of such approvals granted in the past and suggest remedial measures.
The Haryana government in February said it was putting approvals for new stilt-plus-four floors residential buildings on hold. The ban also included such applications pending approval.
The ban was imposed against the backdrop of complaints by residents of the northern part of Chandigarh who have been resisting the administration’s practice of converting single residential units into apartments by granting approvals for stilt-plus-four floors buildings.
Some residents have suggested that a set of rules should be established if the suspension on stilt-plus-four floors construction is revoked, officials said.
The expert committee had in March 2023 invited suggestions and objections from the public and other stakeholders on the temporary ban on construction of stilt-plus-four floors residential buildings to decide its course of action in the matter. The last date to give suggestions was April 6 but it was later extended till April 13.
A government official, who asked not to be named, said that feedback given by the public and other stakeholders such as developers and residents welfare associations (RWAs) is being studied. “Nearly 26,000 suggestions and objections have been received and all will be analysed. The process of analysis of the feedback has already begun but it may take some time because of the large number of suggestions,” the official said.
He added that after analysing all the feedback, the committee will start convening meetings with all stakeholders including RWAs to better understand the issue. It is also expected to conduct field surveys to get to the root of the problem and suggest corrective measures.
Officials said that the feedback received include a mix of suggestions as some are against the stilt-plus-four arrangement and some are in its favour. Some residents have suggested that a set of rules should be established if the suspension on stilt-plus-four construction is revoked.
Such resident groups demanded that a set of rules should be established where an NOC from the neighbours and the concerned RWA should be mandatory before start of stilt-plus-four-floor construction, officials said.
The committee will submit its report to the government in two months only after which any action on the fate of the stilt-plus-four floors buildings will be taken.
The government has also formed a four-member expert committee to examine the issue and devise a further course of action on the suspension of building plan approvals for stilt-plus-four-floor buildings on residential plots.
In January this year, the Supreme Court banned “apartmentalisation” of residential units in Phase I of Chandigarh. On January 10, 2023, justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna came down heavily on the Chandigarh administration for "blindly sanctioning" building plans and said it was apparent that they were in effect converting one dwelling unit into three apartments.
The apex court had ruled: “Such a haphazard growth may adversely affect the heritage status of Phase-I of Chandigarh, which is sought to be inscribed as a UNESCO heritage city.”
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