Fate of 25,000 unauthorised structures across Himachal Pradesh hangs in balance

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, June 20

The government has set the ball rolling for the implementation of the Shimla Development Plan (SDP) but there seems to be no relief in sight for over 25,000 unauthorised constructions in the state, a majority of them falling in the Shimla Planning Area.

The fate of these illegal structures still hangs in balance though successive state governments had tried to provide relief to their owners. The previous governments, with an eye on the huge vote bank, especially in the Shimla Planning Area, had tried to bring in a one-time settlement policy to regularise these structures but with little success.

Seven retention policies have already been enforced to provide relief to the violators. The HP High Court had criticised the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, municipal bodies and other agencies responsible for regulating construction activities. It had barred the state government from bringing in another retention policy, as it only emboldens the violators.

These 25,000 illegal structures are located all over the state but most of them are in the three Assembly segments of Shimla (Urban), Shimla (Rural) and Kasumpti. Attempts were made to provide relief to the owners of these structures by way of amendments to the TCP Act but that, too, did not fructify.

In fact, the Virbhadra Singh government had promulgated an ordinance on September 6, 2014, to regularise these illegal structures but withdrew it later on. The owners had objected to the high compounding rates for regularising deviations in building plans.

Seeing the deplorable condition of the state capital with respect to unregulated urban development, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its judgment of November 16, 2017, had banned any new construction activity in green, forest and core areas, including around the Circular Cart Road in Shimla. This order, too, had come very close to the 2017 Assembly elections.

Most Located in 3 Assembly segments

• Successive governments had tried to bring in a one-time settlement policy to regularise these structures but with little success
• Most of these illegal structures are located in the three Assembly segments of Shimla (Urban), Shimla (Rural) and Kasumpti
• The Virbhadra Singh government had promulgated an ordinance on September 6, 2014, to regularise illegal structures but withdrew it later on