Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration is preparing to undertake sweeping reforms in the city’s land-use norms, marking one of the most significant attempts in recent years to modernise the planning framework and make more efficient use of the UT’s limited land resources.The new approach seeks to shift the city from rigid, prescriptive planning to a more flexible, demand-driven model through major deregulation measures being framed under what officials describe as “Deregulation 2.0.”During a recent high-level meeting with central govt officials, the UT administration shared updates on its ongoing work to overhaul land-utilisation rules, including amendments to the city’s master plan. The reforms, being shaped in line with the Centre’s reform agenda, aim to streamline land use across sectors while reducing regulatory hurdles that currently restrict growth and redevelopment.A central proposal under examination is the introduction of a “permitted until prohibited” principle across all zones. Under this model, activities in residential, commercial and industrial areas would be generally allowed by default, except for those included in a defined negative list. Officials said this system is expected to make land use more flexible and responsive to actual demand and could facilitate mixed-use development in buildings. To operationalise this, changes may be required in the relevant building bylaws as well as the existing master plan.To steer these reforms, the administration has constituted an expert committee headed by the deputy commissioner. The panel has been tasked with reviewing all currently permitted and restricted land-use activities across various zones, defining criteria for allowing uses that were earlier restricted, and preparing recommendations for approval by the competent authority, a senior UT official said.In industrial areas, the administration’s focus is on “unlocking” land by reassessing and liberalising the plot allotment policy. The effort is aimed at increasing flexibility for industrial landholders and enabling more productive use of existing plots.Education Sector ReformsAnother significant set of proposals relates to the education sector, where the administration is examining the elimination of minimum land requirements for establishing private K-12 schools. The review also covers possible removal of rigid infrastructure requirements, such as specific standards for playground size, laboratory space, building height and built-up area. Officials are considering permitting shared infrastructure—such as playgrounds and libraries, including digital libraries—and allowing private schools to access nearby govt or municipal facilities like playgrounds, gymnasiums and multi-purpose halls on payment basis.Relaxations in Floor Area Ratio (FAR), height limits and setback norms are also under consideration to support vertical expansion of school buildings. Similar removal of minimum land requirements is being evaluated for private universities. According to an official, changes linked to guidelines issued by affiliating bodies would be escalated to the ministry of education for relaxation, followed by a Chandigarh-specific notification. The emphasis, the official added, would remain on principle-based requirements that allow flexibility while maintaining educational quality.Creating a Land BankThe UT plans to identify and create a land bank by mapping degraded forest areas and non-forest land parcels. The process will involve coordination with the Master Plan and Gati Shakti portal to identify suitable land, with relevant information to be shared for updating the PARIVESH portal.To support this work, a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set up within the forest department. Instructions for establishing the PMU will be issued along with preparation of terms of reference (ToR) and recruitment of required manpower.A senior official said the reforms collectively represent an effort to modernise Chandigarh’s planning system, reduce regulatory bottlenecks and make the city more capable of accommodating future growth within its limited land footprint. Implementation is underway in phases, with several measures expected to be rolled out in the coming months.BOX: Land-use reform agenda—Review current permitted and restricted land activities across zones —Define criteria to allow previously restricted uses —Create a roadmap for demand-driven, market-responsive planning (permitted until prohibited with negative lists) —Allow vertical school expansion by relaxing FAR, height, and setback rules —Promote shared school infrastructure (playgrounds, libraries, digital hubs) —Permit private schools to use nearby govt or municipal facilities (playgrounds, gyms, halls) on payment basis —Replace rigid norms (lab sizes, playground standards, etc.) with flexible, principle-based requirements —Build a land bank by identifying degraded forest and non-forest parcels MSID:: 128037749 413 |
