The Supreme Court (SC)’s directions to the UT administration for getting the apartmentalisation issue examined by the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee will not affect the functioning of the administration, officials maintained.
The heritage committee is headed by the UT adviser and all senior officer part of the committee.
The SC, while prohibiting the conversion of residential units into floor-wise apartments in Chandigarh, in its order on Tuesday directed UT administration to take steps for amending Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 and 2017 building rules.
A senior administration official said the order will not affect their functioning as most of the projects that are carried out in the city are after the approval of the Heritage committee. Also, all senior officers of UT administration are part of the heritage committee, the official added.
Rajneesh Watts, former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, who is a member of the heritage committee, said, “The SC has entrusted more responsibility on the committee for protecting the heritage status of Corbusian Chandigarh.”
Division Bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and MM Sundresh had said,
{{/usCountry}}Division Bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and MM Sundresh had said,
{{/usCountry}}“We feel that such important issues cannot be left only to the discretion of the Chandigarh administration. We, therefore, find it necessary to direct that after the Chandigarh Administration takes the decision to amend the provisions, the same shall be placed before the Central government for its consideration and final decision.”
Coming down heavily on the UT Administration, the SC bench said the authorities of Chandigarh administration are blindly sanctioning building plans when it is apparent from the building plans that the same are in effect converting one dwelling unit into three apartments. Such a haphazard growth may adversely affect the heritage status of Phase-I.”