Industrialists on Friday submitted their objections and suggestions on the proposed amendments to the Industrial Building Bylaws and Land Use Policy under the Chandigarh Master Plan (CMP)-2031.
During a hearing before the screening committee constituted by the UT Administration for examining objections and suggestions, industry representatives welcomed the Administration’s initiative to revisit and modernise the existing industrial policy framework, but emphasised that any amendment must be practical, growth-oriented and aligned with the operational realities of industrial and commercial establishments functioning in the Industrial Area.
Chander Verma, chairman, Chandigarh Industrial Converted Plot Owners Association, objected to linking enhanced Floor Area Ratio (FAR) with concerns regarding additional pressure on civic infrastructure.
It was pointed out that no significant infrastructure improvements took place in the Industrial Area for several years despite substantial revenue collected by the Administration through conversion charges, building permissions and various other levies.
Surinder Gupta, president, Chamber of Chandigarh Industry, demanded that charges for additional FAR should be rationalised and kept on a par with the neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab to maintain the competitiveness of Chandigarh-based industries and businesses.
Varinder Saluja, president, Industry Association of Chandigarh, stressed that enhanced FAR should be allowed on existing industrial buildings. Making reconstruction a pre-condition for availing additional FAR would impose a huge financial burden on entrepreneurs and cause disruption to business operations.
The associations urged the Administration to permit vertical expansion and regularisation through simplified procedures so that industrial units could utilise the enhanced FAR in a cost-effective manner.
Verma also demanded that converted industrial plots should be granted an additional 0.50 FAR over and above the proposed FAR limits. He pointed out that in converted plots, approximately 0.50 FAR is effectively consumed for essential services, utilities, circulation areas and other mandatory requirements, leaving only 1.50 FAR for actual commercial activities. “Since plot owners have already paid conversion charges considering a permissible FAR of 2.00, restricting the usable commercial FAR to 1.50 would be unfair,” he said.
Avi Bhasin, president, Laghu Udyog Bharti, also highlighted the practical difficulties caused by mandatory central courtyards, particularly during extreme weather conditions.
Industrialist Arun Mahajan also emphasised the need for allowing higher ground coverage in industrial buildings. He said industries involving heavy machinery, manufacturing processes and storage operations could not practically shift major activities to upper floors. He also demanded that mixed land-use benefits available in the Industrial Area Phase 3 should be extended to Phases 1 and 2.
The stakeholders argued that a uniform policy across all industrial phases would promote balanced development and remove existing disparities. The industrialists demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all pending building violation and misuse notices.
