News: Fourth-floor policy on hold, Haryana the government tells HC next hearing September 3-23-08-2024
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rescheduled the next hearing on the stilt-plus-four (S+4) floors policy for Sept 3. The latest hearing took place on Thursday, when the department of town and country planning informed the bench of Justices Arun Palli and Vikram Agarwal that the govt has put the policy on hold.
On July 2, Haryana decided to allow construction of four floors, a move that raised significant concerns over the city's infrastructure. Gurgaon Citizens Council (GCC), a residents' group, approached the high court challenging the policy. During the previous hearing, Haryana additional advocate general Ankur Mittal assured the court that the policy would be put on hold. The court had then set a deadline of Aug 22 (Thursday) for the state to submit its reply. When DTCP submitted its response on Thursday, the court announced the policy hold would be extended until the next hearing. The delay is intended to provide the court with ample time to review the state's submission and consider the implications of the four-floor construction policy.
The govt had given its nod to build stilt-plus-four (S+4) floors on residential plots after suspending all new plan approvals for more than a year and a half. The approval for such buildings was halted on Feb 23, 2023 after residents of licensed colonies demanded a ban on construction of the fourth floor, citing burden on the existing infrastructure and civic amenities.
Several builders, including private entities, have sought to become
parties in the case, filing applications with the high court. However, the court has yet to issue notices on these applications. Senior advocate Nivedita Sharma, representing the GCC, argued against the involvement of the builders, emphasising that their participation is unwarranted. Sharma also cited a Supreme Court order in a similar case from Chandigarh, which stated that no urban planning can proceed without a thorough environmental impact assessment. She argued that such an assessment is crucial in the current case, given the potential impact of the four-floor construction policy on the city's already strained infrastructure.
Baljeet Rathi, vice president of GCC, voiced strong opposition to the reimplementation of the four-floor scheme without necessary infrastructure upgrades. Rathi warned that such a move would further deteriorate the city's basic facilities, including drinking water supply, sewage, and drainage, which are already under strain. He emphasised that the govt's previous implementation of the four-floor policy, without addressing these infrastructure issues, has led to significant damage to the city's urban fabric.
