Fourth floor: DTCP to hear plea of blacklisted architects

Gurugram: The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has decided to impose a penalty of ₹2 lakh per violation on architects, who had flouted rules while issuing occupation certificates to owners of plots where four floors and a stilt has been constructed. The department has decided that architects who had been recommended to be blacklisted will now be given a chance for hearing by the senior town planner, and after that a decision will be taken whether these violations can be compounded or the blacklisting of the architect should be continued by the department, officials said.
An order issued by Amit Khatri, director, town and country planning on October 16 said that due to the ban imposed by the state government on four floors and stilt on residential plots, it was clear that no building plan approval and no occupation certificate through composition of unauthorised construction of 4th floor under composition policy could be approved. However, it was observed that some architects had indulged in blatant violation of grant of Occupation Certificates under self-certification policy by compounding illegal construction of stilt + four floors. After the violation came to the notice of the department, a group of 18 architects were blacklisted and the department also intimated and recommended to the Council of Architecture that their registration be revoked with immediate effect.
A senior DTCP official, said that one of the blacklisted architects had appealed to the department of town and country planning that he had issued only one Occupation Certificate and he was backlisted without grant of any opportunity of being heard or given a chance to explain his position. “Following the appeal and taking into consideration related issues, the director, DTCP has decided that the architects should be given a hearing and thereafter a decision should be taken whether to continue the blacklisting or compounding of the violation be carried out,” he said.
The order issued by Amit Khatri, DTCP said, “Therefore, considering the principles of natural justice and also the fact that no earlier violations by the said architects have been reported to the Directorate, it is ordered that the violation by the architects may be considered compoundable upon payment of Rs. 2 lakh per offence. The concerned architect(s) may submit their requests for composition of offence to STP Gurugram who shall grant hearing to the concerned architect(s) and after taking cognisance of the circumstances under which such occupation certificate was granted and ensuring that the same stood revoked and no registration executed, the offence may be compounded by STP Gurugram, if satisfied with the circumstances reported by the architect and status of such Occupation Certificate.”