Haryana panel suggests nod to stilt-plus-4-floor building with riders

For representational purpose

A Haryana government’s expert committee has recommended approval of stilt-plus-four-floor building plans on residential plots with riders. The state government had on February 23 kept in abeyance the approvals of fresh stilt-plus-four-floor building plans and also barred applications pending approvals.

The committee report has suggested that in new sectors plans can be allowed provided adequate infrastructure is developed in the area while in old sectors an audit of existing infrastructure should be conducted before giving permission, sources aware of the development told Moneycontrol.

A final decision on the committee’s report is yet to be taken by the state government.

The riders

Sources said that for old sectors, the committee has recommended the construction of stilt-plus-four-floor buildings only in those blocks or areas where the roads are at least 12 metres wide and there is scope to augment the infrastructure.

The report suggested that standard operating procedures should be chalked out for audit of the existing infrastructure capacity while also exploring the augmentation of such infrastructure that includes drainage, parking, water supply, sewerage and fire safety, among others.

Sources said that in new sectors the committee has recommended giving the go-ahead to such plans only where the infrastructure being developed can cater to a density of 18 persons per plot.

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So far over 24,600 building plans have been approved and around 11,400 occupation certificates issued for the stilt-plus-four-floors buildings by the authorities across the state, the report said.

The four-member expert committee was headed by former IAS officer and Haryana State Pollution Control Board chairman P Raghvendra Rao. Other members were former Town and Country Planning Department chief town planner Dilbag Singh Sihag, Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation chief town planner Dinesh Chauhan and senior town planner at Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran Vijendra Rana.

Not for hospitals, hostels

In the report, the committee said that stilt-plus-four-floor building plans should be approved only for family accommodations and not for hostel or hospital purposes. It suggested such buildings should be independent structures that do not overload the common wall of adjoining houses, sources said.

They added that during its consultation with various stakeholders, the committee had come across concerns about the blocking of sunlight and privacy issues. To allay these concerns the committee has recommended that building height in such plans should be reduced from permissible 16.5 metres to 15 metres.

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The committee also recommended a revision in the Haryana Building Code, 2017, to address the issues of setbacks and structural safety, ground coverage and floor area ratio (FAR). It said a quick response team should be formed to curb the misuse of stilt parking.