100% plot coverage to create chaos in 167 urban civic bodies

In a move that is set to create chaos in 167 urban civic bodies, the Local Government Department has done away with the conditions of minimum road width, plot size and frontage to raise buildings under the Unified Building Bylaws-2025.

The rules were passed by the state Cabinet recently. The benefit applicable in all core areas of the civic bodies would enable the property owners to cover 100 per cent of their plot area, making light, ventilation a casualty, besides compromising on fire safety.

Official in the Local Government Department admitted that around 40 per cent population in civic bodies resided in core areas. “Already having congested roads and high density living, allowing box-type structures will be a very dangerous trend. It will put people’s lives at risk and aggravate the problem of congestion in such areas,” said a senior government functionary.

Sources said since there were large-scale violation of building norms in core areas and the civic bodies were unable to regulate them, the relaxation in the building rules would automatically regulate them while earning revenue by allowing additional coverage area.

In another questionable move, the department has allowed double-storied commercial building on existing residential plots of minimum 500 sq yard in all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats developed prior to December 31, 2019.

Sangrur-based social activist Jasinder Kaur Sekhon said by reducing the minimum road width from 60 ft to 40 ft for allowing commercial activity in all nagar councils and nagar panchayats, the department had breached the sanctity of the master plans of the respective towns.

The rules are bound to throw up a fresh challenge on the infrastructure front at a time when cities like Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, besides satellite towns, are struggling with overburdened sewerage, poor solid waste management, shrinking green cover, traffic congestion and pollution, said environmentalist Jaskirat Singh.