Haryana Allows Stilt Plus Four Floor Construction

                Haryana's Urban Local Bodies Minister, JP Dalal, announced on Tuesday that the state government now permits the construction of stilt plus four floors (S+4) across the state. This 
decision also applies to old colonies with certain conditions. The move aims to benefit the general public.

Minister JP Dalal stated that residential plots in colonies and sectors with approved layout plans for four residential units per plot can now construct S+4 floors without any conditions. 
Additionally, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jan Awas Yojana colonies with a license and approved service plans for four units per plot are also included.

In areas where layout plans are approved for three residential units per plot, S+4 construction is allowed if the road width is 10 meters or more. However, the owner must obtain 
consent from neighbours. If consent is not given, the owner can still build by leaving a 1.8-meter space from the adjoining house. If a neighbour refuses consent, they will be ineligible 
to construct S+4 in the future.
 For plots already permitted to construct three floors and a basement, new S+4 permissions will not allow basement construction or load-bearing on common walls unless there is 
mutual consent among neighbouring plot owners. If an entire row of plots is constructed simultaneously, common wall construction is permitted.
Plots auctioned by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) with purchasable floor area ratio (FAR) can either construct S+4 or request a refund of development rights. Refunds 
come with 8% interest from the application date and must be requested within 60 days of the refund order issuance.

If a plot does not qualify for three or four-floor construction, the owner can get back the entire auction amount plus 8% interest from the refund request date. This application also has a 
60-day submission window from the refund order date.

An amount of Rs 1178.95 crore has been collected for S+4 approvals: Rs 689.8 crore by Urban and Village Planning, Rs 466.3 crore by HUDA, Rs 2.62 crore by HSIDC, and Rs 20.23 
crore by Urban Local Bodies Department. This fund will enhance infrastructure in various sectors and colonies.

The department will launch a portal to address S+4-related issues and provide public access to permissions and other relevant information. To prevent covering stilt areas, future 
building plan approvals or occupancy certificates will include conditions that if stilt areas are covered, approvals will be withdrawn.

Standard operating procedures have been established for unauthorized S+4 constructions without building plan approval. Offenders can apply for compounding of offences to the 
competent authority. If no objections were raised during construction, permission will be granted within 90 days after recovering composition fees.
If objections were raised by neighbouring plot owners during construction, they will have another chance to submit mutual agreements and consents. If consent cannot be obtained, 
the case will be decided through a speaking order. Unauthorized constructions can be compounded at rates ten times higher than those prescribed under the Haryana Building Code.
Previously, FAR was allowed for up to 2.5 floors; additional floors required extra payment for FAR approval. The government has now increased rates by up to 25% for plots between 
250 and 350 square meters.
Additional Chief Secretary of Urban and Village Planning Department Arun Kumar Gupta, Director Amit Khatri, and other senior officers were present during this announcement.

Source : The Economic Time