S+4 Floor Policy Mired in Controversy

The much publicised policy of the Haryana government regarding construction of stilt plus four floor residential buildings has once again kicked up a controversy especially affecting construction activity in Haryana’s NCR area of Gurgaon with the Punjab and Haryana High Court putting the state on notice on the basis of a public interest petition against such constructions.

The petition challenges among other things , the arbitrary, unplanned and unsustainable decision to revoke a self-imposed embargo on stilt plus four floor constructions. It may be mentioned that the Haryana government  had put a ban on new Stilt plus four floor approvals in March 2023 following the  protests from resident welfare associations and citizens about inability of  Gurugram’s prevailing  infrastructure to cope with the pressures on civic amenities like drinking water and power supply , drainage ,sewage and waste management. But on July 2, 2024, the state government allowed the resumption of S+4 constructions, thereby kicking up a row.

Significantly, the Haryana government had earlier set up an expert committee  to review the feasibility of four floor buildings in cities like Gurugram which are already infrastructure related issues. The committee had recommended that before allowing additional floor constructions, an audit of the city’s infrastructure including drainage , waste management, roads and public utilities should be conducted. However, as per the petition, despite these recommendations, the Haryana government reintroduced the four floor policy without addressing these issues.

The petition has outlined that Gurugram’s infrastructure is already under severe strain  with overflowing sewage, bad drainage , poor waste disposal and deteriorating roads and the situation will become worse if more multi-floor buildings are allowed to be constructed without infra upgrade. Gurugram Citizen Council has also expressed similar concerns with regard to the pressure on the city’s infrastructure due to S+4 floor constructions. 

Meanwhile, following the stoppage of  construction of S+4 floor buildings, the prices of floors have shot up in Gurugram where prices of highrise apartments are already skyrocketing, making affordable and mid-segment homes out of the reach of homebuyers.