Illegal constructions flourish due to lack of proper checks
A number of multi-storey buildings coming up on the banks of rivers and rivulets in different parts of the state in violation of rules has become a matter of grave concern.
Despite the fact the state government had banned such constructions in 2023 after flashfloods hit Kullu and Shimla districts, the illegal practice goes on unchecked. It looks like the Town and Country Planning Department has not taken the state government directive seriously.
Buildings situated close to river banks are either swept away or damaged in flashfloods. Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that once the approval for the construction is granted by the TCP, there is no follow-up and officers hardly bother to visit the construction sites.
A senior official of the TCP Department told The Tribune that the department lacked adequate manpower to check the violations. He said it would be wrong to blame the TCP Department as the government expands the department’s jurisdiction year after year without increasing manpower accordingly.
Half of the state falls in the zone-V of seismic activity, besides being prone to flashfloods and other natural hazards. It seems people as well as the state authorities like the TCP Department and civic bodies have not learnt any lesson from the 2023 flashfloods, which killed 200 persons. The state faced yet a another natural disaster in Mandi district last month.
Despite Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s order to the TCP Department on imposing a complete ban on construction on riverbeds, the illegal activity continues as the authorities concerned have approved building plans.
As per the TCP rules, up to four-storey structures, subject to the floor area ratio (FRA) with a height of 18.80m, are permitted in most towns of the state. However, several buildings above the prescribed height have come up in the past few years.
The state government had set up new Municipal Corporations and also extended municipal limit of many civic bodies with specific objectives, including checking haphazard and unplanned construction. However, there was no significant impact. Several hotels, malls and shopping complexes have come up on riverbanks and hill slopes leading to tragedies like the one that hit Mandi’s Seraj valley last month.
While addressing TCP officials recently, the Chief Minister had categorically stated that civic bodies should act in a time-bound manner and in accordance with the law to check unplanned constructions in their respective areas.
Himachal Tribune