Revoke ban on construction of fourth floor, says Gurugram developers’ body

Gurugram: Following problems being faced by plot owners and contractors due to a ban imposed by the Haryana government on the construction of the fourth floor in buildings, the Gurugram Home Developers’ Association members on Saturday called upon Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to the chief minister.

The members submitted a memorandum to the OSD at his residence in Palam Vihar, demanding that the ban should be revoked on an immediate basis. They said hundreds of plot buyers across the state have bought plots to build four floors, and 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.

Association president Narender Yadav said the decision of the government to suspend permission to construct four floors as well as placing stilts on February 22 has caused a lot of problems for property owners and small contractors, who have made heavy investments.

“Hundreds of crores of rupees have been invested by plot owners who want to build four floors. The state government had also permitted the registry of the fourth floor, which gave a massive boost to the real estate industry. But the decision to suspend the construction of the fourth floor has been a knee-jerk reaction and the government should have taken into consideration the efforts and money put in by the stakeholders,” Yadav said.

The association members said that plot buyers have paid a lot of money as external development charges and also for additional FAR and their money is now stuck due to the ban imposed by the state government.

“From 2019 onwards, when the government gave permission for the registration of the fourth floor, we were charged an additional external development fee for augmentation of infrastructure,” said Yadav.

The association members also said that with the ban on constructing the fourth floor coming into force, the rate of the independent floors has started increasing as supply will diminish. “The increase in price of floors will hit the real estate market and it is our appeal to the government to reconsider the ban,” Yadav added.

Another issue raised by the association members was that many people in Gurugram purchased plots from the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) to construct four floors and they have now started demanding a refund from the authority due to the ban.

The Haryana government last month had suspended the policy of building stilts and four floors 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. The state government has now decided to form a committee to study the issue in detail before making further recommendations.

After hearing the issues raised by the association members, the OSD said that the matter was under the consideration of a committee formed by the government and a decision will be taken after considering all aspects and issues raised by the stakeholders.

A large number of residents in Gurugram had earlier opposed the policy of allowing four floors in colonies. They argued that the existing infrastructure was not laid for high density of population. They said that building four floors without requisite upgrades in power, water, sewage and other infrastructure will put heavy pressure on the existing facilities.

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Palam Vihar said, “By constructing additional floors, the character of the colonies is changing and trees are being felled. Also, more pressure is being exerted on the existing infrastructure. There is an urgent need to first upgrade the infrastructure and thereafter allow such constructions”.