Power to 6 more hotels cut in McLeodganj

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 6

Six more hotels in McLeodganj have lost power connections due to illegal constructions. Commissioner, Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, Lalit Jain has passed an order in this regard.

Lalit Jain said the orders had been issued to the electricity authorities to disconnect power of six hotels as these were violating building bylaws. He said 70 more cases were under scrutiny and if these were found defying the bylaws, these would lose power connections.

Earlier, the Dharamsala MC had disconnected power connections to three hotels in McLeodganj.

It was for the first time that the MC authorities had taken strict action against a prestigious hotel. The action has sent panic waves among hoteliers in McLeodganj. Some hoteliers have given an undertaking to the corporation that they would demolish the illegal structures. Some hotel owners moved local courts but failed to get any relief against the corporation action.

Sources said some hotels did not have papers. They were registered as residential accommodations in municipal council and town and country planning records but over a period of time had evolved into seven storey hotels. The owners of such hotels were now in trouble.

In the notices given to the violators, the corporation has sought a detailed map approved by the MC and Town and Country Planning Department, completion certificates of the building issued by the departments and clearance certificate issued by the pollution control board among other documents.

Illegal constructions have mushroomed in the Dharamsala region, especially in McLeodganj when the state government announced its retention policy. Under the policy, the state government has decided to regularise 100 per cent deviations from approved maps. However, most of the hoteliers in the region carried out extensive illegal constructions.

The liaison officer to the Dalai Lama, who is an official of the Union Ministry for External Affairs, had also complained against the illegal constructions carried out in the vicinity of their office. Security experts had written regarding the threat posed to the Dalai Lama due to the illegal buildings in Upper Dharamsala.

As per the rules, power and water connections cannot be given to building till they have No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Municipal Corporation and the Town and Country Planning Department. However, in many cases, illegal buildings have been given power and water connections.

More under lens

• The orders have been issued to the electricity authorities to disconnect power of six hotels as these are violating building bylaws
• More cases are under scrutiny and if these are found violating the bylaws, these will meet the same fate
• Earlier, the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation had disconnected power connections of three hotels in McLeodganj.