Panchkula stilt parking: Take necessary action after advice of experts, chief engineers told
Amit Bathla
Panchkula, February 3
The Chief Architect, HSVP (Headquarters), has written to the chief engineers (both I and II), HSVP, Panchkula, to take necessary action on the issue of construction of stilt parking plus four floors, following an advice of structural experts.
Many residents of the city had submitted a representation to the HSVP Chief Administrator, urging him to immediately stop the construction of stilt parking plus four floors (allowed as per amendments to the Haryana Building Code, 2017). They have alleged that “indiscriminate construction of new floors” by their neighbours has left irreparable damages like cracked walls and floors, damaged roofs in their old houses, leading to conflicts among them. In a few cases, the opposite parties indulged in physical confrontation and even filed FIRs against each other.
According to experts on the subject, the key reason for adjoining buildings not able to take load is that two structures share the same boundary wall. If construction is done as per the bearing capacity, such problems can be resolved, they suggested.
Meanwhile, senior HSVP officials said the matter was under examination.
According to them, in several instances, they have observed that violations of the building plan have been carried out, and stilt areas in many buildings have been misused.
HR Yadav, Chief Architect, HSVP (Headquarters), said, “As the matter relates to structural and other engineering issues, we have requested chief engineers of the HSVP, Panchkula, to issue necessary guidelines on the matter after taking an advice of structural experts.”
Recently, the matter was also discussed at a meeting chaired by the Haryana Speaker and local MLA Gian Chand Gupta.
According to the local HSVP officials, they had been receiving complaints from residents about damages caused to their old houses adjacent to under-construction homes (with stilt parking plus four floors) on a regular basis and constantly apprising the higher authorities about the same.
