Zones to be covered under Atal tunnel planning area identified

Tribune News Service

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, May 12

All construction activity within the Atal Tunnel Planning Area will have to be undertaken in strict accordance with the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, 1977 to prevent unregulated growth.

Even though the Cabinet had given nod to constitute the Atal Tunnel Planning Area on May 3 it is now that the TCP Department has identified the zones where land use will be frozen once the notification in this regard is issued shortly.

Spurt in construction activity

• The TCP Department has identified zones along the road and the Chanderbhaga river where land use will be frozen.
• The notification has been issued to ensure that no structures come up which can hamper future expansion plans.
• There has been a sudden spurt in construction activity after the opening of the Atal Rohtang tunnel
• A permission will now have to be sought for any construction activity in these designated stretches

The Town and Country Planning Department has identified the zones along the road and the Chanderbhaga river where land use will be frozen after the notification is issued to ensure that no buildings and structures come up which could hamper future expansion plans.

The need to regulate land use and construction activity is being felt as there has been a sudden spurt in construction activity all along the road and river after the opening of the Atal Rohtang tunnel.

Being an architectural marvel, the Rohtang tunnel, providing round the year road connectivity to the Lahaul Valley has become a tourist attraction. A total of 1.74 lakh vehicles had crossed the tunnel in the month of April 2023.

The freezing of these zone in the tribal district of Lahaul Spiti will ensure that there is regulated urban growth. Several home stays and hotels have come up on either sides of the tunnel ever since it was inaugurated, spiking fears of haphazard construction activity. Land use will be frozen in the three vilages of Bargul, Mulling and Shipting.

“Permission will have to be sought from the TCP department for any construction activity in these designated stretches falling under Atal Tunnel Planning Area after its publication in the Rajpatra,” said Director TCP, KK Saroch.

He said land use will be frozen within 500 m stretch north from Kuth Vihar to Teling village, 1000 m from Teling to Sissu village and 500 m from Sissus to Tiling village. “Permission will have to be sought from the TCP for any construction activity within these designated zones,” he stated.

The other areas where the TCP Act will be applicable include 200 m south from Kuth Vihar to Rohtang tunnel, 500 m area between the Sissu waterfall and the portion opposite the Sissu lake, 800 m before Mulling village up to Shipting village and 1000 m from the river.

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