The Haryana government has stopped approving new stilt plus 4 floors (S+4) residential buildings across the state, following proceedings before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday. The restriction extends a curb that had earlier applied only to Gurugram.
What Has The Town Planning Department Ordered?
A senior official in the Department of Town and Country Planning said the state had decided to keep all further approvals for S+4 floor plots on hold, effective immediately. Existing sanctioned plans will not be affected, the official clarified. Construction on plots that have already received approval can continue as before.
The order was issued by Vijender Singh, senior town planner (headquarters), on behalf of the Director of the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP). It was circulated to the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran, urban local bodies departments, and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The order stated that all approvals for stilt-plus-four floor houses would remain on hold as various works and modalities relating to the online approval of building plans and self-certification were being finalised, along with other administrative requirements.
“This is to bring to your kind notice that it has been decided to keep all further approvals in respect of stilt-plus-four floors in residential plots on hold. Accordingly, kindly put all such approvals in respect of S+4 floor construction in residential plots on hold,” the order said.
Why Is This Restriction Being Extended Statewide?
The move follows an interim stay the High Court imposed on stilt-plus-four construction on April 2. The court later clarified that the restriction would apply only to Gurugram, allowing approvals to continue elsewhere in Haryana. Tuesday’s proceedings appear to have prompted the state to widen that caution to the rest of Haryana, pending clarity on the policy framework for self-certified building plans.
Officials said the pause was a procedural step to allow the government to finalise how online building plan approvals and self-certification will work going forward, rather than a permanent policy reversal. No timeline was given for when fresh approvals might resume.
What Does This Mean For Pending Applications?
For now, homeowners, developers and colonisers with pending S+4 applications in the pipeline will need to wait until the state finalises its revised framework. Plots with plans already sanctioned before the order remain unaffected and can proceed with construction as planned.