Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across Gurgaon have welcomed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision on Thursday to stay the Haryana government’s stilt-plus-four (S+4) construction policy on residential plots in the Millennium City.

RWA office bearers say they have faced a multitude of issues stemming from the alleged misuse of the policy, ranging from PG facilities being offered on narrow 10-metre residential roads and 100-yard plots being converted into stilt+4 floors, to stilt areas being turned into commercial spaces instead of being used for parking.

Explaining why they are welcoming the HC order, Kundan Lal Sharma, General Secretary of the RWA at Sector 21, which is 4-km away from the popular DLF Cyberhub, said, “It is a very prevalent problem in our area. There is a plot that, after building S+4, now has 60 1RK flats on it, clearly for a commercial purpose, but without the necessary utility conversions.”

Without civic infrastructure being improved first, such constructions should not be allowed, as they only add to an already burdened system, Kundan Lal said. “As an RWA, however, we cannot compel anyone against constructing an S+4 floors, even if it exceeds our capacity. We welcome the HC order and the regulation of S+4,” he added.

Another RWA General Secretary echoed a similar view. “What makes it worse is people build S+4 and subsequently PGs and commercial units on roads that are only 10-m wide, and then do not even use the stilt or basement for parking. As a result, cars block the road and it becomes impossible to walk, leading to traffic woes in residential areas. We have faced difficulty as an RWA in handling this, so the order is a welcome one”, said Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, general secretary of Sector 23A RWA.

The problem is not limited to older neighbourhoods and is prevalent in newly built societies in Gurgaon as well. Weighing in, Kusum Sharma, Chairperson of Suncity Township’s RWA, located near Golf Course Road, said the government’s policy allowing stilt+4 floor constructions on residential plots had placed an unsustainable burden on the city’s civic infrastructure.

“S+4s are proliferating even in societies like ours that were built a while ago. People get permission for a certain number of floors, build more than sanctioned, and then convert the units for commercial use. The civic infrastructure simply cannot bear so much beyond its capacity. We have, therefore, made representations to authorities that these should only be allowed in planned, newer sectors,” said Kusum.

Naveen Kumar, former President of the DLF 2 RWA, also backed the ruling, noting that the issue went beyond just construction. “The building codes should also be amended to streamline such things. Construction cannot go on unabated when the infrastructure does not support it,” he said.

Meanwhile, real estate agent Abhishek Bhardwaj said the HC order would weaken the outlook on the sale and development of plots. “S+3 may not always be financially viable, and with a ban on S+4, the costs for both builders and buyers will go up. With the stay in place, builders will not develop plots, and the inventory of properties and flats risks becoming stagnant,” he said.

“Things like lack of parking and construction of PGs on narrow roads should not happen. However, norms should not be weaponised against builders”, Abhishek added.