Chandigarh: In a major relief for Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) allottees, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday approved a number of need-based changes.The relaxations relate to norms regarding construction of lifts, additional doors, internal changes, façade painting, front and rear courtyards, water tank capacity, and temporary shades.More than 4.5 lakh city residents living in CHB-allotted houses are likely to benefit from the relaxations. Kataria approved the recommendations of the committee constituted to review the Need Based Changes order dated Jan 3, 2023.Earlier, a high-level committee constituted by the UT administration under the chairmanship of the secretary, estate, UT, undertook a comprehensive review of the consolidated NBC order dated Jan 3, 2023. The exercise was carried out in light of the Supreme Court’s judgment dated Jan 10, 2023, directing freezing of the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), along with representations received from stakeholders and the prevailing ground realities.The committee reviewed CHB’s need-based changes policy order dated Jan 3, 2023 and recommended that the said policy be implemented with certain exclusions. The CHB was directed to start implementation of Clause 2-21, 24, and 26-28 of the need based changes order dated Jan 3, 2023, with immediate effect.“The decision is aimed at ensuring clarity, transparency, and adherence to planning norms while addressing concerns of residents within the legal framework,” said a UT official.“We welcome the notification on need-based changes as compared with the last need-based changes notification issued in 2019. The administration, though, should make substantial changes rather than simply repeating the 2023 policy. In that also, the administration excluded some key relaxations. Without allowing a one-time settlement in the CHB flats for changes made within the storey line and building line, the issue of so-called violations stands unresolved. In a nutshell, around 20-25% people will benefit,” said Hitesh Puri, chairman, Crawfed.BOX: Need-based changes allowedAll relaxations approved are subject to limitations/conditions such as structural safety, standard design, building codes, payment of charges, etc — Projections over windows and doors extending on both sides of the door and window length — Additional windows allowed in the end walls of corner DUs — 4 ½ inch walls inside apartments may be removed; walls thicker than this, being load-bearing, shall not be demolished — Lowering of the cill of existing windows is allowed up to four inches above floor level — Additional construction is allowed only to the extent provided for in type-wise 2-dimensional drawings — 4-and-a-half inch walls inside apartments may be removed in case the owner intends to consolidate spaces; walls thicker than this, being load-bearing, shall not be demolished — Provision of grill/glazing in the verandah/balcony is allowed, subject to conditions — Regarding treatment of the outer surface of the building by way of painting and cement paint, uniformity of colour pattern is to be maintained for each block — Width of the main gate is allowed to be increased to 12 feet and height up to 6 feet — Coverage of balconies with lightweight materials in the form of sunshades — Any internal change in dwelling units/flats/apartments without any approval from CHB — Additional construction of 150 sq ft or 75% of the area of the rear courtyard/terrace, whichever is less; smaller flats to benefit most — 10 feet wide gate allowed in the side/rear boundary wall of the rear courtyard abutting V-5/V-6 roads — Coverage of the corridor area adjoining DUs of HIG (upper) category in Sector 45-A — Shift the gate from the side boundary wall to the front boundary wall — Total capacity of the water tank can be increased up to 1,000 litres — Some additional constructions in the DUs of HIG (lower)/Cat-II DUs in Sectors 47-C, 45-B, 41, and 38-A allowed — For LIG (upper) duplex DUs, Sector 41-A, Chandigarh: Extending the width of the room by about 2 feet in the rear courtyard is allowed over all permissible area of 150 sq ft or 75% of the area of the rear courtyard/terrace, whichever is less — The terrace at first floor in LIG (upper) duplex flats in Sector 41-A, Chandigarh, may be converted into a glass house — The terrace at second floor in LIG (upper) duplex flats in Sector 41-A, Chandigarh, may be converted into a terrace garden MSID:: 128818952 413 |
