M A I N   N E W S

Scars on Kasauli, Barog
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SOLAN: The authorities have detected 60 fresh cases of “benami” land transactions in the Kasauli and Barog areas of this district where the green hills have been denuded and replaced by multistoreyed flats of concrete.

These cases are besides the nearly 125 “benami” land transactions which have already been detected by the district authorities.

The authorities have been unable to take action in most of the cases as circumstantial evidence is not available.

The Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Mr R.D. Dhiman, said some more such cases might surface in the area. All these land transactions were being done in complete violation of Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Laws.

Mr Dhiman said haphazard constructions were posing a threat to the area and there was an urgent need to take measures to put a stop to further land transactions.

The authorities are likely to propose a blanket ban on granting relaxation of Section 118 for purchase of land in these areas.

Although the district authorities have restricted the height of buildings up to three storeys, these rules are being violated by the builders without any fear. Many of the builders allegedly enjoy political patronage and as such the officials are unable to take any action.

The largest number of illegal land transactions have been detected in Solan district by the commission headed by Mr Justice Roop Singh. However, the number of such transactions is multiplying as successive governments have been providing only lip service instead of taking concrete steps to protect the charm of these hill stations which attract a large number of tourists.

Barog, on the Shimla-Kalka highway, is the worst victim of illegal constructions. Many multistoreyed buildings have come up in the area and are an eyesore in the green belt. It is learnt that not even an inch of land is now vacant between Barog and Dharampur.

The position is equally bad on the backside of Kasauli on the Parwanoo-Kasauli road where construction activity is in full swing. Not only individual houses, even flats are being constructed by builders.

These constructions at Barog and Kasauli are visible from a distance and appear like scars on the green hills. Generally the Town and Country Planning Department and other agencies come into action only when such buildings are nearing completion and they confine themselves only to issuing notices to the builders. There is not a single case where such building has been demolished.

What is alarming is that such high-rise buildings are being allowed to be constructed right on the edge of the highway ignoring the fact that Himachal Pradesh has been placed in seismic zones IV and V, which are the two highest earthquake prone zones in the country.

Most of these constructions are in violation of the recommendations of the Department of Earthquake Engineering, university of Roorkee.

Some of the builders have cut the hills to construct roads for their flats which take off right from the highway, which is again a violation of rules. In certain places the rocks have been cut deep to make parking places for vehicles.