CHANDIGARH, Oct 28 — The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval to allow construction of stilt-plus-four floors in all new urban sectors under the Punjab Unified Building Rules, 2025, marking a major change in the state’s building regulations.
The new provision will apply to licensed colonies and sectors, permitting owners of plots measuring at least 250 square yards to construct up to five levels, including a stilt. The permissible building height has also been raised from 17 metres to 21 metres, in line with the rules in Haryana.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who chaired the Cabinet meeting, said the move is designed to address housing shortages in the state’s urban centres. “We want to make housing more accessible in our growing cities,” Mann said, adding that deemed approval will now be granted for building plans of houses up to 250 square yards. He said the rules also allow for additional ground coverage to facilitate vertical growth.
The Cabinet further approved the upgradation of Barnala from a municipal council to a municipal corporation. “Given the pace of expansion, industrial growth, and GST generation, Barnala has qualified for corporation status,” Mann said, calling it the 14th municipal corporation in Punjab.
Among other decisions, the government capped the number of drug de-addiction centres that a private individual can run at five. “We found some individuals managing more than 20 centres, which raised regulatory and quality concerns,” an official said.
The Cabinet also cleared the creation of a new sub-tehsil in Ludhiana North to enhance administrative access. The new unit will cover four patwar sectors, one Kanungo sector, and seven villages.
