Gurgaon: Haryana’s self-certification policy for issuing occupation certificates (OCs) in licensed colonies has come under scrutiny after a joint probe by the CM’s Flying Squad and Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) found several incomplete buildings granted OCs.Inspections across licensed colonies in the city found buildings still under construction — some lacking plastering and other basic finishing work — despite being declared complete in official records.Based on the probe’s findings, show-cause notices have been issued to several architects and departmental action has been initiated. The inquiry into additional suspected violations is continuing.The investigation has reignited concerns over the framework introduced in Nov 2022, under which empanelled architects are authorised to inspect buildings, certify compliance with the Haryana Building Code-2017 and issue OCs directly to property owners, without mandatory physical verification by the department in every case. Applications are uploaded to an online portal, but only a small percentage are selected for random checks. The rest rely entirely on the architect’s certification.Before this regime, the process involved multiple layers of scrutiny: architects submitted applications to DTCP, junior engineers conducted site inspections, assistant town planners verified their reports, the accounts branch examined fee payments, and the district town planner granted the final OC.Residents said the irregularities strike at the core of what an OC is supposed to guarantee. “People buy homes assuming that an OC means the building has passed every required inspection. If certificates are being issued for incomplete structures, it undermines buyers’ trust and raises serious safety concerns,” said Rakesh Kumar, a New Gurgaon resident.Another resident, Sunita Sharma, called for independent inspections before families are allowed to occupy buildings. “The policy may have been introduced to simplify approvals, but there must be strict accountability,” she said.The matter is also headed to court. Senior Supreme Court advocate Nivedita Sharma said the findings point to large-scale misuse.“When under-construction buildings are certified as complete, it amounts to a serious violation of building regulations and compromises public safety,” she said, adding that she is preparing a petition before Punjab and Haryana high court seeking either withdrawal of the policy or a comprehensive overhaul with mandatory verification and clearly defined accountability for certifying architects.The outcome of the ongoing departmental inquiry is expected to determine whether further disciplinary and legal action is initiated against architects concerned.
