Punjab: 100% plot coverage in 167 urban bodies will lead to chaos
Punjab: The Local Bodies Department has abolished the minimum road width, plot size, and frontage requirements for building construction under the Unified Building Bye-Laws 2025, threatening to create chaos in 167 urban local bodies. The state cabinet recently passed these rules. This benefit, applicable in all core areas of municipal bodies, will allow property owners to cover 100 percent of their plot area, reducing lighting and ventilation issues and compromising fire safety. A Local Bodies Department official acknowledged that approximately 40 percent of the municipal bodies’ population lives in core areas. “With already congested roads and high-density housing, allowing box-type structures would be a very dangerous trend. This would put people’s lives at risk and further worsen the congestion problem in such areas,” a senior government official said. Sources said that since there were rampant violations of building norms in prime areas and the municipal bodies were unable to control them, the relaxation in building rules would automatically control them and also generate revenue by allowing additional coverage area. In another questionable move, the department has allowed construction of two-storey commercial buildings on existing residential plots of minimum 500 square yards in all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats developed before December 31, 2019. Sangrur-based social activist Jasinder Kaur Sekhon said that by reducing the minimum road width from 60 feet to 40 feet to allow commercial activities in all municipal councils and nagar panchayats, the department has violated the sanctity of the master plans of the respective cities. Environmentalist Jaskirat Singh said these rules will pose a new challenge on the infrastructure front at a time when cities like Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, besides suburbs, are grappling with excessive sewerage, poor solid waste management, dwindling green cover, traffic congestion and pollution.
