Haryana Government Temporarily Pauses Fourth-Floor Policy; Next Hearing on September 3

                GURUGRAM: 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 emphasized 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.


Source : The Economic Time