Haryana opens Morni hills to push tourism, brings policy for hotels, dhabas, guest houses
The government says the objective is to encourage tourism-related activities in Morni, Haryana’s only hill station
In a major push to tourism infrastructure in the Morni hills region, the Haryana Government has proposed a new policy allowing guest houses, hotels, restaurants and dhabas to come up in agricultural zones along key roads leading to Morni.
According to a draft policy issued by the Town and Country Planning Department on May 17, the government plans to permit change of land use (CLU) permissions for tourism-related activities up to a depth of 500 metres on both sides of the Panchkula-Morni Scheduled Road and the Chandi Mandir-Morni road via Thapli.
The policy will also apply to agricultural zones within the Morni Controlled Area.
The move comes in response to a “long pending demand” from guest house and restaurant owners and associations operating in the hill region. The government said the objective is to encourage tourism-related activities in Morni, Haryana’s only hill station.
Under the proposed norms, home stays and guest houses will be allowed on plots ranging from 200 square metres to 1,000 square metres, while dhabas can come up on plots between 500 and 1,000 square metres.
Restaurants will require plots between 1,001 and 2,000 square metres and hotels can be built on land parcels ranging from 2,001 square metres to five acres.
The policy also prescribes floor area ratio (FAR), building height limits, setbacks and parking requirements for each category. Hotels, for instance, will be allowed a maximum FAR of 1.5 and a height of up to 15 metres.
To regulate access, the government has mandated that smaller establishments, such as guest houses and dhabas, must have access roads at least 20 feet wide, while restaurants and hotels must have access roads at least 30 feet wide.
The draft policy also states that conversion charges will be levied as per existing rules applicable to commercial projects in agricultural zones.
It also makes environmental clearances mandatory in cases where sites fall under forest laws or eco-sensitive zone notifications around the Khol-Hai-Raitan and Bir Shikargah wildlife sanctuaries.
Officials said necessary amendments in the relevant Acts and Rules would be carried out, if required, for implementation of the policy.
