The order in this regard was issued by the Administration yesterday.

According to the order, the first and the second floor of the SCFs are allowed to be used as offices, subject to the conversion charges that may be fixed by the Administration from time to time.

The charges for the purpose, however, have not been spelt out in the order. Officials point out that the rates are being fixed and will be notified separately.

The order specifies that only the person to whom the SCF was transferred at the time of allotment, or leased would be entitled to apply for conversion. In this way, persons who may have taken the SCF on rent, will not be eligible to apply for the conversion.

Stairs for the first and second floors of the building shall be provided from the front of the shop. This shall be done in accordance with the prescribed architectural controls for SCFs.

The transferee or the lessee may also submit the revised plans indicating the proposed position of the staircase and other internal changes. In such cases, the conversion shall come into effect only on the sanction of the revised plans.

It is specified in the order that no change in the outer facade of the building or additional construction of any kind will be permitted.

It may be mentioned here that SCFs were constructed only in the first phase of the development of the city viz from Sector 1 to Sector 30. While the first floor of these buildings was to be used for residential purposes only, it was increasingly used as office space or for other commercial requirements.

In this light, the Administration did not provide any SCFs in sectors developed in the second phase. There has been a persistent demand that SCFs be converted into SCOs.

However, the decision of the Administration to allow only the owner of the property to apply for conversion, may become a contentious issue.

Shopkeepers who had taken the space on rent had earlier insisted that since they had developed the area as a commercial complex, they must be allowed to apply for conversion too.

Meanwhile, the Administration has issued another order allowing STD/PCO booths and fax and photostat machines in the residential areas to be used for commercial purposes. According to the order, the residents are allowed to use upto 20 per cent of the area of the building, subject to a maximum of 15 square meters, for installation of these machines. Also, only a part of the sanctioned building can be used for the purpose and no external structures or any other changes will be allowed. The residents who have installed these machines or intend to install them, must also inform the Estate Officer in writing in this regard.