The Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) in Gurugram is poised to launch a comprehensive inspection campaign targeting residential properties located within licensed colonies. The objective of these inspections is to root out instances of illegal construction and violations of building norms. Authorities’ decision to undertake this initiative stems from a surge in complaints concerning such violations, even after property owners have obtained occupation certificates from architects on the DTCP’s empanelled list.
According to officials with knowledge of the matter, teams dedicated to this purpose are currently being assembled, and the inspection drive is anticipated to commence this week. The primary catalyst for this effort is the recurring nature of grievances related to unauthorized construction and breaches of building norms following the receipt of occupation certificates (OCs) from architects on the empanelled list.
An official from the DTCP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that an exhaustive roster of properties and colonies has been meticulously prepared. This list will serve as the cornerstone for the upcoming enforcement operations. In the initial phase, approximately 30 properties with reported cases of unauthorized construction have been singled out for rigorous scrutiny.
“The enforcement teams will conduct thorough assessments of these areas to identify any violations of building bylaws. If violations are uncovered during the inspection, property owners may face show cause notices. Depending on the circumstances, the architects involved could face potential blacklisting, and the OCs issued for the respective properties might be revoked. The actions taken will be tailored to the specifics of each case,” elaborated one of the officials mentioned earlier. Specific details concerning the colonies linked to these violations, however, remain undisclosed at this time, according to the official.
Moreover, the DTCP reserves the right to recommend that the registration department abstain from registering any new floors or buildings that have received OCs from architects implicated in these violations. The roster of properties earmarked for inspection has been meticulously curated based on insights provided by the department’s field staff.
This development comes on the heels of Senior Town Planner (STP) Renuka Singh’s recent statement, where she highlighted a substantial influx of complaints pertaining to unauthorized construction following OC issuance. Consequently, the District Town Planner (Enforcement) has been instructed to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the matter.
In a move to streamline and expedite the certification process, Haryana implemented a self-certification framework last November. Under this framework, architects registered with the Council of Architecture (CoA) are granted the authority to issue occupation certificates for individual plots within licensed, residential, plotted colonies. This empowerment allows architects to scrutinize all pertinent documents before granting an OC. Subsequent to OC issuance, architects are required to submit a physical copy of the application and related documents to the DTCP within three days for recordkeeping purposes. Following this, the district town planner must review 10 percent of the total OCs issued by these architects.