‘Infra checks must before nod’: Expert panel’s S+4 policy roadmap back in focus after HC stay

Gurgaon: Haryana govt’s expert committee report on stilt-plus-four (S+4) residential buildings has returned to the centre of legal and planning debate after Punjab and Haryana high court stayed the policy, citing inadequate infrastructure and apparent dilution of key safeguards proposed by the panel.Hearing a batch of petitions, HC restrained the state govt from acting on its July 2, 2024, notification that allowed S+4 floors on residential plots. It underlined that infrastructure capacity could not be ignored while permitting high-density construction.The expert committee report filed in June 2023 proposed a detailed framework for allowing S+4 buildings, but only with riders. Its central recommendation was a mandatory infrastructure capacity audit before any additional floors were permitted, especially in developed sectors.The committee said S+4 buildings in existing colonies should be allowed only in blocks abutting roads at least 12 metres wide and supported by adequate, or augmentable, infrastructure, including water supply, sewerage, drainage and parking. The revised rules, however, extended permissions in HSVP sectors to roads as narrow as 10 metres, prompting concerns that the policy had moved away from the committee’s original framework.

The panel also prescribed a clear implementation sequence — preparation of a standard operating procedure (SOP), submission of a detailed audit report within three months, and final approval by the deputy commissioner after technical verification. The high court observed that the audit mechanism was necessary to prevent further strain on civic infrastructure, which is already under pressure in many parts of Gurgaon.A key finding of the report was the distinction between new and existing sectors. The committee supported S+4 buildings in upcoming areas where infrastructure could be planned in advance, but warned against blanket approvals in older colonies where civic systems were already stretched.Consultations held across Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula recorded recurring concerns from stakeholders. These included internal roads effectively reduced to 4-5 metres because of encroachments and utilities, acute parking shortages, traffic congestion, structural risks to adjoining buildings, misuse of stilt areas for commercial purposes, and mounting pressure on sewer, drainage and water networks.The report also flagged that a large number of permissions were being granted on narrow roads and small plots, raising questions about long-term sustainability.Official data cited in the report showed that by March 2023, around 24,600 building plans had been approved and more than 11,400 occupation certificates issued, indicating that the policy had already been implemented at scale even before the revised notification.After the 2024 changes, approvals accelerated further. In the city alone, 7,000 to 8,000 building plans were sanctioned in colonies and sectors, and more than 1,500 occupation certificates were issued. While this reflected strong uptake, it also coincided with growing complaints from residents over infrastructure stress and deteriorating quality of life.The committee’s recommendations went beyond the question of whether S+4 construction should be allowed.

It called for revisions to Haryana Building Code, 2017, strict action against misuse of stilt parking, grievance redress mechanisms, mandatory structural safety norms, linkage of permissions to infrastructure augmentation plans, and regular public disclosure of approvals.Most importantly, the panel stressed that permissions in many cases should follow prior infrastructure upgrades, not run parallel to construction or come afterward.HC’s interim order reflected many of these concerns. It observed that roads, sewer systems and drainage network in the city were already under severe pressure and might not be able to absorb increased density without advance upgrades.A court-appointed inspection reinforced that concern. It found that roads officially recorded as 10-12 metres wide often had motorable carriageways of only 4-5 metres, exposing the gap between planning standards and actual site conditions.The bench warned that allowing S+4 construction without infrastructure audits could impose an “additional burden over existing infrastructure of Gurgaon, which is on the verge of crumbling with increased use by a larger population...”Urban planning experts said the court’s intervention had restored attention to the committee’s original roadmap. “The report never rejected S+4 outright. It laid down conditions. The issue is implementation without safeguards,” a senior town planner said.The dispute now turns on the committee’s core finding: vertical expansion in plotted colonies cannot be separated from infrastructure readiness.