The department of town and country planning (DTCP) in Haryana has decided to offer architects, who issued occupation certificates (OCs) for four-storey buildings with stilt parking in violation of regulations, a chance to be heard.

The director of the department, who took the decision, proposed imposing a fine of Rs 2 lakh for each violation. Senior town planners (STPs) have been directed to conduct hearings for 18 architects involved in the issuance of illegal OCs.

After these hearings, it will be determined whether their registrations will remain cancelled or if they will be allowed to continue by paying the penalty. STP, Gurgaon, Renuka Singh confirmed that "all legal procedures and investigations will be completed before any action is taken".

On Feb 23, 2023, the Haryana govt imposed a ban on the construction of four-storey buildings with stilt parking. However, several buildings in the city managed to bypass this regulation. These structures initially had plans approved for two or three floors but went ahead to construct four floors. With the connivance of certain architects, occupation certificates were issued for these illegal constructions.

Following investigations, 18 architects were blacklisted for issuing OCs in these cases. One of the architects appealed to the director, saying he had issued the OC for only one building, which was later cancelled. "I acknowledge the mistake and have already cooperated by cancelling the OC. I request the department to consider my record and reinstate my registration," he said. He assured that no registration of any floor took place in that building and promised not to repeat the mistake in the future.

Another blacklisted architect defended his actions, saying, "The department's guidelines were unclear when the OCs were issued. I acted in good faith, based on the approvals given at the time. It's unfair to blacklist us now for past decisions."

He also called for clarity in the future to avoid similar issues. The blacklisted architects include Pankaj Kumar, Amit Bhardwaj, Gajendra Kumar, Arun Kumar, Gaurav Singla, Neeraj Dixit, Anuj Yadav, Krishna, Manveer Bhardana, Prabhat Kumar, Puneet Kochar, Ritika Anand, Saurabh Kathuria, Himani Gupta, Vikrant Pundir, Ravi, Rohit Chugh and Ujjwal Saini. These architects were found complicit in issuing illegal OCs in collaboration with builders.

In light of the violations involving four-storey constructions with stilt parking, the state govt has introduced new compounding rules. The hearing process will ensure that architects are given an opportunity to present their case before a final decision on their registrations is made.