Stilt plus four storey: Fresh plea in Punjab and Haryana HC against construction by neighbour

Punjab and Haryana high court issues notice to Panchkula administration and a resident over construction dispute causing cracks in neighbor's house.

Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notice to Panchkula administration and a city resident on the plea from a lawyer challenging construction of stilt plus four storeys by his neighbour, which has allegedly resulted in cracks in the walls of his house.

In May, the Punjab and Haryana high court, in two cases, had ordered two residents to deposit ₹15 lakh with its registry. Their neighbours had alleged that constructions by these two had caused cracks in their houses. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The high court bench of justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan has sought response from the administration by July 13. The administration also needs to submit a report after examining both the buildings by the same day.

In May, the high court, in two cases, had ordered two residents to deposit ₹15 lakh with high court registry. Their neighbours had alleged that constructions by these two had caused cracks in their houses.

Notified in 2019, stilt plus four floor policy had seen opposition across Haryana.

Since the notification, over 1,700 approvals for such buildings have been given. Of these, 550 have collected occupation certificates, which means that their building is ready for use. As per a report released in February, construction of nearly 1,100 high-rise buildings is underway in the city.

The government had to put it in abeyance in February amid pressure from residents. It subsequently set up an expert panel to examine the issue. The panel has favoured stilt plus four floor policy with some riders.

The petitioner, Neeraj Gupta, told the court that he is a resident of Sector-12 A. The adjacent plot holder constructing a stilt plus four storey building, which has caused damage to his house.

“Constructing stilt plus four is a profitable proposition for a businessman, but neighbours cannot be made to suffer for this,” he added in court.

The court was informed that administration was approached several times to look into the matter but they did not heed to his request. No structural inspection or audit has also been conducted by HSVP authorises, the plea said, seeking a stay on construction.

The petitioner said that there is no remedial policy or guidelines to deal with such cases, despite many complaints. The plea demanded that respondents be directed to make necessary repair and the administration be directed not to issue occupation certificate in adjoining plots case.