Gurugram: Its proximity to the Shivalik Hills and a dearth of multi-storey buildings is why former Chief of Army Staff General V.P. Malik (Retd) chose to settle down in Panchkula. But the decorated veteran is now leading the charge against the Haryana government’s policy on ‘apartmentalisation’ — conversion of residential houses into multi-storeyed apartments.
When Panchkula’s residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) met Sunday, General Malik took part in the meeting and told attendees that he wrote to Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on 12 December last year about large-scale ‘apartmentalisation’ in Panchkula. However, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) is yet to respond to his letter, he said.
“This haphazard development is an unhealthy and adverse step for Panchkula. It will severely affect the circulation of fresh air, restrict sunlight and violate the privacy of residents. The increase in population density will cause unbearable strain on water supply, road drainage and sewage in these narrow lanes,” read Gen Malik’s letter to Khattar.
During the meeting Sunday, the veteran asked how authorities were able to turn a blind eye when Panchkula’s original master plan did not have a provision for the construction of multi-storeyed apartments in the city’s plotted sectors. The solar panels on his roof, he said, were rendered useless by the construction of a high rise in the neighbourhood.
“I came to Sector 6 of Panchkula from Delhi 19 years ago to lead a quiet life and now, I find the same chaos here too. Not upgrading the infrastructure would permanently destroy the character of the city,” he said. Urging residents to be “environmentally conscious”, Gen Malik cited the ban on conversion of residential homes into multi-storeyed apartments in Chandigarh to suggest that builders will “begin large-scale construction in Panchkula”.
Panchkula was admired for its layout, surroundings, and green landscape, he said, adding that changes in FAR (floor area ratio) and the construction of multi-storeyed flats are not in the interests of residents. This conversion of residential homes into multi-storeyed apartments should be banned permanently, especially on B and C (inner) roads, he said.
However, this is not a concern only for residents of Panchkula. Resident welfare bodies across Haryana have been opposing the 2017 amendment allowing the conversion of residential houses into four-storeyed apartments. RWAs allege this is putting additional pressure on infrastructure, including service roads, parking spaces, and sewers, besides jeopardising the safety of buildings adjacent to the plots having stilts plus four floors.
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‘Four times more parking space, water’
RWAs across Haryana have been voicing similar concerns over ‘apartmentalisation’ ever since the Supreme Court in a verdict earlier this month banned the conversion of residential houses into multi-storeyed apartments in the first 30 sectors of Chandigarh.
In 2017, the state government amended the Haryana Building Code, allowing owners of plotted houses to build ground plus three floors with a stilt parking space. The Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), earlier Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), had said at the time that people can now construct a stilt and four floors on their plots.
As a result, homeowners in Haryana started converting their homes into four-storeyed apartments before selling each storey to a different owner, leading to congestion on narrow inner sector roads, and more pressure on parks, water supplies, and sewage lines.
Ritu Bhariok, legal advisor for the Federation of Affordable Homebuyers and vice president of the Federation of Apartment Owners (FAOA) in Gurugram, said the move led to more congestion, making it difficult to enter even a posh area like Sushant Lok on a two-wheeler.
“Before allowing people to build four-storeyed apartments on their houses, the government should think whether they have provided enough infrastructure to take the load of that number of people. A residential home converted into a four-storeyed apartment means they will need four times more parking space, draw four times more water and put four times more pressure on the sewerage system than before,” she told ThePrint.
According to Bharoik, the government — before it allowed conversion of residential houses to multi-storeyed apartments — should have thought about whether it had the requisite infrastructure to accommodate the additional population settling down in these apartments.
“Whatever damage has already been done cannot be undone now. At least the government should ensure that no plot owner is allowed to build four-storeyed buildings in the future,” she added, advocating for an immediate ban on the conversion of residential houses into multi-storeyed apartments.
A member of Real Estate Regulatory Authority’s (RERA) Central Advisory Committee (CAC) and president of Federation of Apartment Owners Association (FAOA) in Gurugram, Sanjay Lall alleged that rules are drafted to suit the interests of the influential “builders’ lobby”.
Plots sold in Gurugram’s DLF phases one, two and three 15 years ago are now being converted into four-storeyed apartments with each unit fetching Rs 5 to 6 crore, he said. “Gurugram is already facing a severe water crisis. Influx of more families with multi-storeyed apartments will further lead to the exploitation of groundwater,” Lall told ThePrint.
Inder Parkash, a member of the Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) United termed the conversion of residential houses into multi-storeyed apartments a ‘mindless policy’.
“People left crowded areas of Delhi to move to DLF and other sectors in Gurugram to live a peaceful retired life. Spent hard-earned money to buy properties. And suddenly, they find that they are not getting sunlight or fresh air because of the mushrooming of multi-storeyed apartments,” said Parkash.
Highlighting another unforeseen problem that followed the construction of multi-storeyed apartments with stilts, Lall said guests visiting someone in the area would not find any place to park their vehicles. Earlier, guests could easily park their vehicles along the boundary wall of the host’s house. But now, with a stilt at the front, they can park their vehicles only at the peril of blocking the entry and exit of the house, he emphasised.
“Gurugram is a city where the metro isn’t an ideal mode of transportation because of lack of last-mile connectivity. Road transportation is already heavily crowded. Underpasses get flooded during rains. And now, one-and-a-half-floor houses are being converted into four-floor apartments, Parkash told ThePrint. “Don’t be surprised if you see people fighting for parking space, water, and above all, privacy. This has already been seen in Delhi.”
Meanwhile, Yashvir Singh Malik, convener of the Confederation of RWAs of HSVP sectors in Haryana, announced that his organisation will launch a statewide agitation and demand that the state government implement the SC verdict with regard to Chandigarh to other sectors of the state’s urban planning body, the HSVP.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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