Chandigarh’s Solar Panel Rule under HC Lens, Issues Notice

According to notification, it is mandatory to install solar power plants on rooftops of all newly constructed residential buildings covering more than 1 kanal of land.

Responding to the petition seeking quashing of the order that makes it mandatory for residential and non-residential buildings to install solar power plants on their rooftops, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to Chandigarh administration and Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST).

Col Pritpal Singh Gill (retd), 97, a resident of Sector 35, has filed a petition in court citing he was tense and disturbed by the “illegal and arbitrary action of the administration” of making it mandatory to install solar panels on house rooftop.

Advocate Prateek Gupta, who was representing Gill, said the administration has no power under Section 4 of the 1952 Act to issue such a notification. He said the administration had decided not to extend the deadline, May 18, for installation of solar power plants in houses and asked the estate office to ensure compliance of the notification.

“Ordering the estate office to issue notices for resumption of plots who had failed to comply with the directions amounted to intimidation,” Gupta said.

According to the notification, it is mandatory to install solar rooftop power plants on of all newly constructed residential buildings covering more than 1 kanal of land.

Also it is mandatory for all the private institutions and government buildings to install solar rooftop power plants.