Draft of development plan for Solan to be finalised soon

Tribune News Service

Solan, August 23

In a bid to regulate developmental activities in the urban area due to rapid urbanisation and economic growth, the Town and Planning Department (TCP) is preparing a regional plan for Solan district.

While modalities of its draft plan are being finalised, public objections will be invited once it is published. A key meeting headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner Ajay Yadav, Town Planner Premlata Chauhan besides officials from various departments was held here on Thursday where the nitty-gritty of the plan was pondered upon.

These plans are being prepared for Solan and Lahaul Spiti district on a pilot basis among all districts of the state.

“The regional plan once notified will be applicable till 2041. A review of the draft plan is underway where key concerns arising out of last year’s rain-induced disaster have been incorporated,” said Solan ADC Ajay Yadav.

The proposed land use is being planned as per the laid guidelines where the existing agriculture and vacant land will be used for future development while forest areas, water bodies, tree clad area, etc. will be demarcated as no development zones.

The plan has taken various aspects into consideration like the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of various sectors, demographic profile, economic profile, agriculture and allied activities, industry and mining, land use and settlement pattern, housing, physical and social infrastructure, traffic and transportation, heritage conservation and tourism besides environment and disaster management.

The district has a total area of 1,936 sq km with a majority of the land being a combination of farmland, tree clad area, forest area besides area having urban activities along the major transport corridors, including the state and national highways. The total developed area is merely 18.4 per cent of the entire region whereas 81.6 per cent of the area is underdeveloped which includes agriculture, tree clad area, forest and water bodies. Barely 3. 50 per cent area is residential while the commercial area was as less as 0.08 per cent and 0.92 per cent area was industrial. Public and semi-public area was as less as 0.20 per cent while only 0.02 per cent area housed public utilities. Transportation activities comprised 0.74 per cent of the area and barely 0.30 per cent had recreational activities.

Issues like encroachment and unauthorised development within eco-sensitive areas, congested growth and lack of planned residential colonies, haphazard development and inefficient land utilisation of land, lack of planned commercial areas, which lack proper distribution and steep slopes in the east and eastern south part restricting spatial development area the major challenges for apt planning.

Premlata Chauhan said once the draft was prepared, public objections would be invited and the plan would be finalised on that basis later. She said key suggestions given by the Health and Family Welfare Minister DR Shandil were also being incorporated in the development draft.