CHANDIGARH, Oct 28 — The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of stilt-plus-four floors in all new urban sectors, a move aimed at tackling the growing housing demand in the state’s cities.
The decision, taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, allows owners of plots measuring at least 250 square yards to build stilt-plus-four structures in licensed colonies and newly launched sectors. The approval comes under the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025, which were cleared by the Council of Ministers.
Chief Minister Mann said the move would help accommodate increasing population pressure in urban areas. “This has been done to ease the housing pressure in big cities,” he said after the meeting. The permissible height of residential buildings has been raised from 17 metres to 21 metres — a provision similar to that in neighbouring Haryana.
The Cabinet also cleared a provision for deemed approval of building plans for houses up to 250 square yards and allowed additional ground coverage to streamline the construction process.
In another significant decision, the government approved the conversion of Barnala from a municipal council to a municipal corporation. “Given the city’s rapid expansion, industrial growth, and GST contribution, Barnala deserves corporation status. It will now be the 14th corporation in the state,” Mann said.
The Cabinet also decided that private individuals running drug rehabilitation centres in Punjab will not be allowed to operate more than five centres each. Officials said the cap was introduced as some operators currently run over 20 such facilities.
Additionally, a new sub-tehsil has been sanctioned in Ludhiana North, comprising four patwar sectors, one Kanungo sector, and seven villages, to improve administrative efficiency.
