Activists question Punjab Government's stilt-plus-4 floor proposal

Activists, environmentalists and town planners have questioned the Punjab Government over its move to construct stilt-plus-four floors on residential plots, without assessing the impact it would have on the basic infrastructure like sewerage, water, vehicular movement and the environment.

Managing basic amenities big challenge

There are 167 urban local bodies, including 13 municipal corporations, in the state. Managing existing basic amenities in itself is a big challenge as due to political pressure, building bylaw violations have been regularly ignored.

Reacting to the Housing and Urban Development Department’s draft Punjab Unified Building Rules-2025, residents have pointed out that on the one hand the state was acquiring 63,000 acres for its future urbanisation plans, but on the other it has come up with building rules that would lead to congestion and increase in population density.

Patiala residents under the banner of ‘Patiala our Pride’ have pointed that the rules have been framed without keeping in mind planned development of cities. AS Gill, former DG, CRPF, and CM Kaura, a former Engineer-in Chief, PSPCL, from Patiala, said additional floors would create pressure on the already crumbling infrastructure in cities. A Sangrur-based activist, Jasinder Sekhon, said the old neighbourhoods in Sangrur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and other places are already under severe stress in terms of water supply, sewerage and waste management system.