Chandigarh, Feb. 18 -- A panel set up by the high court to examine road width in some localities of Gurugram, where stilt-plus-four floors (S+4) construction permissions are being granted by the state government, has found that motorable road width in these areas ranged between 4-5 metres. The panel was set up by the high court on January 29, faced with contradictory stands taken by different counsels over actual road width in these residential areas. While petitioners opposing S+4 policy had submitted that the actual width of 10 metre of roads in permitted areas does not exist and had pointed out that due to walking areas, encroachments etc. it is only of 4.5-6 metres. On the other hand, the state's counsel had submitted that permissions are being given only on the roads with 10-metre width. A S+4 building is one where the ground floor is raised by creating an open space on pillars or stilts. The stilt floor is typically used for parking or storage, while the upper floors are used for residential purposes. In July 2024, the Haryana government, after a 16-month ban, allowed the S+4 constructions in residential sectors after a report of an expert panel. These petitions have been filed after this notification challenging government move by residents from Panchkula, Gurugram and other places. The panel consisting of secretary, district legal services authority, Gurugram and counsels/nominees of government and petitioner side inspected roads on January 31 in DLF Phase 1 and Sector 28. As per advocate Nivedita Sharma, who read out portions of the report before high court on Tuesday, while certain roads had a wall-to-wall width of 10 to 12 metres, the motorable metalled portion in most cases was between 4 and 4.8 metres. Detailing the on ground situation, she submitted that road width was 4.5 metres in DLF Phase 1, 4.5 to 4.8 metres on market roads; and 3.9 metres in one stretch of Sector 28, and 4 metres on another 10-metre-wide road. The court was told that at the seven to eight sites that were visited, the effective motorable width did not exceed 4 to 5 metres. In some places, cars were found parked on both sides and there was not even space for passing of two vehicles at the same time. She also listed out encroachments found by the panel including that of planters, green patches fenced with barbed wire and metal structures. The court has taken the report on record and asked the different parties to submit their written arguments within two weeks. Notably, arguments are pending in some other petitions in which vires of the government move are under challenge. Arguments in those petitions are yet to be concluded....