Stilt+4 storeys in old Panchkula sectors to prove dangerous: Gen Malik

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 30

The construction of stilt plus four-storey building will put pressure on the existing infrastructure of the city and people will have to face problems such as shortage of water, electricity, sewerage and garbage disposal, said former Army Chief General VP Malik here today.

Addressing a meeting of representatives of various RWAs of Panchkula, General Malik expressed dissatisfaction over the work done so far by the committee constituted on the stilt plus four-storey building plan.

He said changes in the building code should not be implemented in the old sectors. “If this happens, it will be against the basic spirit of the city. If there is no sunlight, people’s solar panels will be useless,” he said.

Malik said he had met with P Raghavendra, chairman of the committee constituted by the government, in this regard on March 18 and discussed rise in population in the city. “In 1981, the number of voters in the city was around 11,500, which has now risen to 3.50 lakh, but the infrastructure created at the time is still working,” he added. He said due to the construction of stilt plus four-storey buildings, air and sunlight at people’s homes were getting affected.

“This change may be implemented while creating new sectors, but using this type of experiment in old sectors will prove dangerous. Cracks are appearing in houses having multi-storey buildings in neighbourhood,” he said.

SK Nayyar, president, Citizens’ Welfare Association, said the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) was spoiling the character of the city with its actions. All RWAs were opposed to the construction of stilt plus four-storey buildings. Even though the HSVP decision was being opposed across Haryana, the government was determined to implement it again, he said.

Houses on verge of collapse

Many houses are on the verge of collapse. If a Turkey-like quake hits the region, the damage would be huge. — General VP Malik, former Army Chief