Home developers’ body submits memorandum in support of fourth floor

Gurugram Home Developers Association has submitted a memorandum to a special committee formed by Haryana government to look into issues surrounding the construction of a fourth floor on residential plots. The state government banned construction of the fourth floor in February, citing a potential violation of density norms and pressure on infrastructure in the colonies. The association has said hundreds of plot buyers across the state have purchased plots with the objective of building four floors, and money has been invested by buyers that has now been stuck due to the ban.

Gurugram: A delegation of Gurugram Home Developers’ Association on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the special committee formed by the Haryana government to look into the issues pertaining to the construction of fourth floor on residential plots.

The state government had put a ban on the construction of the fourth floor on February 22, after the matter was raised in the assembly. Subsequently, the department of town and country planning (DTCP) had formed a five-member committee headed by P Raghavendra Rao, chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board to look into the issues pertaining to the construction of the fourth floor on residential plots, which has been opposed by residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) on the ground that these violate the density norms and put pressure on the infrastructure in the colonies.

The sudden ban on the fourth floor has, however, has put on hold plans of hundreds of property owners across the state, who had bought plots from private developers and the government with the permission to construct the fourth floor.The Gurugram Home Developers’ Association has said that hundreds of plot buyers across the state have purchased plots with the objective of building four floors, and they had also paid for the additional floor area ratio (FAR). They also said that a lot of money has been invested by the plot buyers and it has got stuck due to the ban on the construction of the fourth floor.

Narender Yadav, president of the association, said that hundreds of crores of rupees have been invested by buyers in these plots, and the sudden decision to ban the construction of the fourth floor has crashed the market. “The government had asked us to submit objections to the policy decision, so we have done that. The buyers have paid money to buy additional FAR in these plots and also paid external development charges (EDC) charges. The ban on the fourth floor will also reduce the availability of housing and this has also caused a rise in the rates of available floors,” he said.The association also said that from 2019 onwards after the government permitted registration of the fourth floor, buyers had to pay an additional external development fee for augmentation of infrastructure.

“A number of land buyers across the state have bought plots from the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). People also collaborated to buy these plots so that they could afford to build an extra floor. Now, it is beyond their dream as the costs have escalated and permission has been withdrawn,” said Subash Sharma, a property consultant in Sector 23.

The Haryana government on February 22 had suspended the policy of building stilts and fourth floor on plots after questions were raised in the state assembly and the policy was also challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court, citing inadequate infrastructure in colonies and pressure on amenities caused by increase in population.City residents have however opposed the concept of four floors on a plot as they said it increases the population density without any improvement in infrastructure. Rama Rani Rathi, former councillor of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) had filed a writ petition in the high court seeking a direction that infrastructure in the colonies should be upgraded first before such housing is allowed.

“The state government must look into the issue of infrastructure before giving permission to construct a fourth floor on plots in residential colonies,” said Mushtak Ahmad, a Gurugram resident.