Haryana panel favours construction of stilt-plus-four floors, but with riders

Tribune News Service

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, June 30

Recommending construction of stilt-plus-four floors (S+4) with riders, including infrastructure augmentation, Haryana’s expert committee on S+4 floors has suggested infrastructure audits and proposed reduction in building height, construction of independent structures and allowing these only for family accommodation.

The committee, constituted in March to give its recommendations on the matter, headed by former IAS officer P Raghavendra Rao submitted its report to the Haryana Government today. According to sources, the report gives the go-ahead to the construction of S+4 floors in new sectors where the infrastructure being laid can cater to a density of 18 persons per plot. However, in the existing sectors, the report limits it to certain blocks where the roads are 12 metres wide and there is scope to augment infrastructure.

For these sectors, it suggests formulation of standard operating procedures for carrying out an infrastructure capacity audit to include availability of services such as drainage, water supply, scope to infrastructure upgrade and defined time periods within which it would be upgraded. The sources claim the Deputy Commissioner has been authorised to clear such approvals in existing sectors after getting the audit reports verified.

With the committee getting feedback on damage to adjoining buildings during its consultation with various stakeholders, the report suggests the S+4 construction be an independent building that does not overload the common wall of adjoining houses.

Factoring in complaints of blocking of sunlight and issues of privacy, the committee has recommended that the building height be reduced from permissible 16.5 metres to 15 metres.

Among other suggestions, the members have recommended constitution of quick response teams to curb misuse of stilt parking and disallowing enclosing of this space.

The report points out that wherever such constructions are already in place or building plans have been approved, an audit of the existing infrastructure be carried out and it be augmented to cater to the increased population.

Also, wherever there are reports of damage to adjoining houses, these be recovered from plot owners responsible for these. This amount should be passed on to the aggrieved plot owners.

Among other things, the report mentions that S+4 permission be denied for hostels and hospitals and this must be confined only to family accommodation limited to four units only.

What the report suggests

• Construction in new sectors only where infra caters to density of 18 persons/plot
• Allowed in existing sectors having 12 m wide roads with scope to augment infra
• Building must be independent, shouldn’t overload common wall of adjoining houses
• Reduce building height from 16.5 m to 15 m to ensure privacy, sunlight

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