Himachal Pradesh government is taking steps to control all construction activity in rural areas as large scale construction activity is going on in the periphery of tourist places and upcoming commercial centers, besides other places.
The state government would soon empower panchayats to regulate construction activity in the rural areas for which the Department of Town and Country Planning (TACP) is finalizing draft guidelines for regulating the construction.
Since rural areas are out of jurisdiction of the TACP, large scale unregulated construction is continuing in rural areas.
It has been observed during the recent monsoon fury several houses and commercial buildings constructed without planning collapsed like houses of cards claiming human life and causing huge loss of property.
As many buildings were raised in rural areas near tourist places and commercial centers without any planning and approval from the TAC department; the heavy rains have made these vulnerable to landslides and subsidence.
It has also come to the notice of the state government a large scale construction in places like Shimla, Manali, Kasauli and all other places is being undertaken in suburbs in the rural areas to avoid hassle of getting map passed from TACP department or urban local bodies as no map is required for the construction in rural areas .
Himachal Pradesh High Court has also directed the state government to regulate unplanned construction in the rural areas to check haphazard construction.
The state government would soon authorize local panchayats to approve building maps and regulate unplanned construction in the rural areas. The Rural Department has sought guidelines from the TACP Department in this regard.
Principal Secretary TACP and Urban Development Devesh Kumar said, “The guidelines are being finalized and soon panchayats would be authorized to regulate building construction in rural areas. “