With UT Administration showing little regard to the long-pending demands of city industrialists pertaining to need based changes, the Parliament Standing Committee has asked the UT Administration to pay attention to the issue and address the grievances of industrialists here.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Home Affairs in its report tabled in Parliament last month has recommended the Administration to look into the matter of allowing need based changes in the industrial plots. “The Committee understands that a need to cover the open spaces with corrugated sheets to prevent the raw material from bad weather, theft and rains is sometimes required and need based internal changes in the buildings and temporary coverage in the courtyard to protect material from being damaged by weather should be permitted,” stated the Committee.
Various Chandigarh-based associations have time and again raised the demand of allowing need based changes in industrial plots. The city-based industrialists have been demanding increase in the ground coverage of the plots. As of now, 75 per cent of the total area can be covered in plots measuring up to 1 Kanal, while the permissible limit of ground coverage for plots ranging between 2 and 4 Kanal is 60 per cent. In plots, above 4 Kanal, 40 per cent of the total area can be covered. In the past, the Administration had also constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of UT Chief Architect to consider the demands of the industrialists but nothing was finalised.
The Parliamentary Committee has also issued directions to the UT Administration on the issues including conversion of industrial plots from lease holds tenure to free hold tenure, extra coverage in residential areas, allowing display and sale on upper floor of SCFs/SCOs. The Committee has recommended allowing conversion of industrial plots from lease hold tenure to free hold tenure in the union territory of Chandigarh. The matter has been considered by the UT Administration several times but at present, there is no move to allow conversion of industrial plots from lease hold tenure to free hold tenure. On the issue of allowing display and sale on upper floor of SCFs/SCOs, the Committee has desired that the issue should be reviewed within a fixed time frame and decision be taken.
At present, notices are being served to the traders for sale and display at upper floor of SCO and SCFs being commercial activities. And, the UT Administration has proposed to be review the matter with all the stakeholders. According to the UT Administration, the sale and display of goods and restaurants are prohibited activities in the SCOs because the upper floors are meant for low intensity activities like offices etc. As regards to SCFs, the upper floors are meant for residence. However, restaurants and other high intensity trades are being allowed on upper floors of SCFs on payment of conversion charges here. Meanwhile, the Committee has also recommended the UT Administration to take an early decision on the proposal for charging rate for permitting extra coverage in residential houses in the city.