Buildings rendered ‘vulnerable’ after heavy rain, flashfloods in Palampur

Ravinder Sood

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Palampur, August 17

Recent rains and flashfloods in Palampur have posed a serious threat to over 10 commercial and residential buildings on the banks of Bhiral and Mol Khuds — two tributaries of the Beas. Locals say that they have spent sleepless nights for the past few days and the administration should take necessary measures to prevent any untoward incident in future.

According to information, most of these buildings are old and were constructed when these areas were under the jurisdiction of panchayats and beyond the limits of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department. A local says that his building was constructed 17 years ago when its original owners were not required to get approval for construction work from the TCP Department. He adds that he had followed the rules and regulations laid down by the state government and his building was duly certified by an engineer.

However, with the formation of the Municipal Corporation, Palampur, in 2021, 15 panchayats of the city were merged into the MC area and later, the state government had issued a notification regarding the regularisation of construction activities in the town to check haphazard and unplanned constructions.

Besides, the state government recently prohibited the construction of buildings on the banks of the rivers and the rivulets within a radius of 8 metre of them in the state. However, the practice of illegal construction in the city still continues unabated. Many commercial buildings have come up without the prior approval of the TCP Department.

MC Commissioner Ashish Sharma said the Palampur civic body had strictly enforced the TCP laws in the areas falling under its jurisdiction, but no significant change had taken place on the ground. He added many violations had come to light and the MC had already issued notices under Sections 38 and 39 of the Town and Country Planning Act to 20 persons to immediately stop unauthorised constructions.

He said within the limits of the MC, 10 wards were in rural areas, where people were being familiarised with the municipal laws. The MC could not be harsh with them without giving them reasonable time to get the maps cleared, he added.