Gurugram residents support floor policy move as a relief for overburdened infrastructure

GURUGRAM: Residents have welcomed the government’s decision to put on hold the policy
allowing stilt plus four floors, terming it as a much-needed relief on the already-overburdened
civic infrastructure of the city.
With most of the colonies in sectors and licenced areas being over three decades old, residents
said, they are unable to cater to the rising population with the coming up of builder floors.
Moreover, uncontrolled construction of builder floors has been a potential safety hazard, besides
aggravating dust pollution in the area.
“We have been against the decision of allowing the fourth floors from the beginning and have
been demanding a ban on the policy for the past three years,” said TN Kaul, general secretary
of Gurgaon Citizen’s Council, an umbrella body of residents, who filed a petition in the Punjab
and Haryana high court in 2021. “The government was simply adding the floors by changing the
building code but where is the other infrastructure which has to be developed to support the
rising demand,” he added.

Rama Rani Rathee, chairman of Gurgaon Citizen’s Council, said, “We welcome the move to put
the policy in abeyance. This was creating huge infrastructure, parking and environmental
issues.”
“It’s a welcome move but it should not be a temporary arrangement,” said Chaitali Mandhotra,
RWA member of Ardee City. “A city is planned on certain grounds that cannot be changed at any
time just based on requirements. Otherwise, it creates a burden on the existing infrastructure.”
The residents also pointed out that the government has not addressed the core issue of
augmenting the civic infrastructure. Lalit Suraj Bhola, RWA general secretary of Sector 9A, said,
“The government has already collected crores by selling additional FAR for the fourth floor,
which should be now used to augment the civic infrastructure.”
Others are taking the decision with a pinch of salt. “The government is only trying to cover up its
mistake,” Vishnu Khanna, RWA president of Sushant Lok-1, said.