Alter house, no need for neighbour’s nod

Property owners in Delhi will now be able to construct a floor or make alterations in their houses/floors without seeking a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from owners of other floors.

Property owners in Delhi will now be able to construct a floor or make alterations in their houses/floors without seeking a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from owners of other floors.

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The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has drafted a final policy, allowing floor-wise sanctioning of building plans on residential plots. The policy is on the MCD website, inviting suggestions and objections from residents.

Hundreds of Delhiites will benefit from this policy, as people buy individual floors, but are unable to make any alterations as they are bound by the NOC clause.

Once this process is complete, the civic agency will start inviting applications from residents, seeking to get their building plans sanctioned floor-wise.

“Our building department had sent a proposal to the Lt. Governor, who has asked us to seek objections from the residents; after that is done, we will start sanctioning building plans floor-wise,” said Yogender Chandolia, chairman of the MCD’s Standing Committee.

According to rules, ground and three floors above it are allowed in most parts of the Capital, but the owner of the uppermost floor needs to obtain a no-objection certificate from the owners of other floors if he or she wants to build an extra floor or carry out any repair work. The matter regarding third floor was put before the Supreme Court, which had allowed sanctioning on case-to-case basis.

While as per the sale deed each owner has the floor in his name, when it comes to getting a building plan sanctioned the civic agency treats the entire plot as one and does not entertain individual applications.

However, a building plan will only be sanctioned if the building is certified as structurally sound by a competent authority.