Bir-Billing’s beauty blurs under burden of unplanned growth

Bir-Billing, a renowned tourist destination and one of the world’s top paragliding sites, located 40 km from Palampur, is grappling with the severe consequences of illegal and unplanned construction. These rampant developments are not only marring the area’s natural beauty but also threatening its global reputation. Despite the state government establishing the Special Area Development Authority (SADA) 15 years ago to regulate construction activities, it has largely failed to curb the unchecked growth. The proliferation of unauthorised buildings has narrowed local roads and village paths, making navigation difficult for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Residents of Bir-Billing attribute the surge in illegal construction to stringent Town and Country Planning (TCP) laws for building site plan approvals and the authorities’ sluggish response times. Numerous site plan approvals remain on hold due to red tape and official bottlenecks, with many residents reporting lengthy waits after submitting their plans to the TCP office without receiving approval. This bureaucratic inertia has inadvertently fuelled the rise of unauthorised structures.

The unchecked expansion has also significantly reduced open areas in this picturesque hill resort, posing a serious threat to the safety of paragliding enthusiasts. The sudden influx of tourists in recent years has led to a mushrooming of hotels, shops and restaurants, leaving hardly any open space for safe landings. Haphazard construction near the landing site, compounded by improper parking, has further exacerbated these concerns.

Adding to Bir-Billing’s woes is the critical issue of waste management. Currently, there are no scientific arrangements for handling the garbage generated by hotels, restaurants and residential houses. While the local hotel association has initiated its own garbage collection efforts, a treatment plant to process the waste remains absent. Five years ago, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the state government to install a garbage treatment plant, yet no such facility has materialised in Bir-Billing to date.

A British resident who has lived in Bir-Billing for the past 15 years warns of dire consequences if timely action isn’t taken. “If timely action is not taken, no place will be left for landing and it will be a major setback to the hill resort,” she stated. She criticised SADA for imposing various taxes, such as green tax and pilot fees, without providing adequate facilities for tourists. “In Billing, there is no washroom and similar is the situation at Bir, Chogan and Tibetan Colony,” she added. She urged the government to take immediate steps to preserve the tourist destination, fearing it could suffer the same fate as McLeodganj and Manali.