Soon, all Chandigarh booths to be at par

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh administration has finally set the ball rolling for removing disparity in the by-laws governing commercial buildings in phases I and II of the city.





UT finance secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha has initiated the process by seeking comments from fire department, urban planning and estate office. The fire department has been asked to submit detailed report on fire safety measures required to be taken for allowing box type structure in Phase I, while the urban planning department has to inform about impact the additional covered area on pattern of Phase II will have on infrastructure. The estate office has been asked to provide rates to be charged for allowing additional coverage area.

The move follows the direction from Punjab and Haryana high court issued on July 19 asking the administration for taking a call on granting permission for additional covered area on the first and second floors of SCFs in Phase I on pattern of Phase II within a period of three months.

In the first phase, the administration had allotted shop-cum-flats (SCFs) and shop-cum-offices (SCOs) with a common design of the SCFs, while in the second phase only SCOs were allotted. The Phase I of the city had been designed as per the original plan of Le Corbusier, while Phase II was designed by local architects.

The traders have been pressing the administration for allowing box type structure in the commercial buildings of Phase I on pattern of Phase II. There are around 5,000 SCOs\SCFs in the city of which around 2,000 are in Phase I which were built as per the 1959 model building plans.

City-based architect Vinod Joshi, who is also chairman of building by-laws committee of Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM), said administration should bring parity in the by-laws governing commercial properties in Phase I and Phase II of the city. “Having two set of norms in different parts of the city makes no sense. This is discrimination. We have been fighting for the cause for over 10 years now,” Joshi. He added that for making changes, owners of Phase I showrooms have to get their SCFs converted into SCOs after paying heavy fee.

A committee formed by the Chandigarh administration in 2008 for allowing need-based changes had recommended to allow additional covered area on the first and second floors of SCFs, which was also approved by the UT administrator. The provision, however, was never notified.