Various resident welfare associations (RWAs) protested today against the construction of stilt plus four-story houses in Haryana under the banner of Haryana State HUDA Sectors Confederation.
Association members alleged that the Haryana Government’s new policy, which was framed to favour builders, smelt of corruption, as the Haryana Building Code was repeatedly amended and stilt plus four storey houses were permitted, which would cause a lot of problems in the future.
According to Mohinder Singh Balhara, president of Sector 28 RWA, the Code was first changed to allow ground plus three floors and then stilt plus four floors. With the increase in population, basic facilities like sewerage, water, drainage, roads, vacant areas, electricity, schools, markets, and dispensaries have not been enhanced. If stilts plus four structures are constructed, these facilities would be further compromised.
In December last year, General VP Malik, former Army chief, wrote to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about large-scale floor-based apartmentalization in Panchkula, but the CM did not even respond to his letter, let alone take action. After moving from Delhi 19 years ago, he found the same chaos here in Sector 6 of Panchkula. The character of the city won’t be permanently destroyed by infrastructure upgrades, he said. It is important for people to be aware of the environment. “These builders will now begin large-scale construction in Panchkula after a ban in Chandigarh,” said General Malik.
The city’s layout, surroundings, and green environment made Panchkula much-admired, and the FAR changes allowing construction of multi-storeyed apartments were not in the interest of its residents. According to him, it should be banned permanently on B and C roads.
According to Bharat Hitashi, chairman of the House Owners’ Welfare Association, Sector 10, and Yogindra Kwatra, president of Sector 20 RWA, basic facilities such as electricity, water, roads, sewerage and parking will be severely affected in sectors developed 30 to 40 years ago. There was a very small population in these sectors when they were developed. Roads, sewer lines, and other basic infrastructure were constructed accordingly. There had been a tremendous growth in population in those sectors over the years, but no concrete steps had been taken to upgrade the infrastructure.
