No private construction to be allowed around Presidential Retreat area at Mashobra in Shimla

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, July 27

The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department has imposed a complete ban on private constructions in the high security zone around the Rashtrapati Niwas ‘Retreat,’ near Mashobra.

Another amendment made is that no construction shall be allowed within the radius of 2 metres from the existing tree and five metres from the forest land measured from the circumference of the existing tree.

Saving the green cover

As per one of the amendments to the Shimla Development Plan, no construction shall be allowed within the radius of 2 metres from the existing tree and five metres from the forest land measured from the circumference of the already existing tree

Even though there was a provision in the municipal laws for ensuring safe distance of buildings from trees and forest areas but now the amendment has been made in the Shimla Development Plan.

As per the notification regarding the amendment to the Shimla Development Plan (SDP), no new private construction will be allowed except re-construction on old lines and addition or alteration in the existing building with prior approval of the state government. As such now, no new private construction will now be allowed to come up in the vicinity of the Retreat, the summer residence of the President of India, near Mashobra.

The TCP has also notified eight new green belts in the state capital, taking the total tally to 25. The eight new green belts which have been notified include Retreat, Mashobra, Band Tukda Andri, Shiv Mandir Andri, Tal and Giri, demarcated protected forest Khalini, BCS-Mist Chamber and Parimahal. Most of these areas have dense deodar forests which are considered the lungs of the town. It was in December 2000 that the government had declared 17 green belts as no construction zone.

The TCP department issued the notification for making amendments to the Shimla Development Plan for enhancing the number of green belts. The government had notified the draft amendments on January 12, 2024 to which six objections and suggestions had been received from the public. Having addressed these objections, the amendments have finally been notified.

Having addressed the objections and suggestions received from the public for these amendments, the TCP officials will now be in a stronger position to enforce the restrictions, especially with regard to protecting trees and green cover. The move is aimed at protecting the green cover of thick deodar forests, especially with many trees just drying up due to unregulated urbanisation and haphazard construction activity.

There have been several instances where people have deliberately dried up green deodar trees by trapping the roots in concrete walls or injecting acid into the roots. Now with the ban on construction in the earlier notified green belts being relaxed, there are greater chances of people damaging trees. As per rules, no felling of green trees would be allowed on plots in the green areas for construction of houses.

The government has allowed need-based construction for self-use on plots in the green areas by making the amendments to the SDP which has the nod from the Supreme Court.