Carrying capacity of Manali, McLeodganj being assessed

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 29

With the hill towns of Manali and McLeodganj turning into concrete jungles, the report on their carrying capacity being prepared by experts will be submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on June 15.

Experts from reputed institutes will be meeting here on June 13 to give final touches to the report which will make recommendations with regard to further growth of the towns in a planned and systematic manner. Interestingly, Kullu-Manali still does not have a development plan which is now in the process of being prepared.

With regulatory mechanism being lax, illegal constructions have come up in both towns. The extent of violations in constructions is huge with forestland also having been encroached upon to raise unauthorized structures. Now with the NGT monitoring the issue, stringent action is being taken against the violators, many of whom are hotel owners.

In case the report points towards glaring violations, the NGT could order a ban or restrictions in construction as had been done in the case of Shimla and Kasauli. It was following the submission of the expert committee report for Shimla that the NGT imposed a ban on new constructions in the core area and restricted buildings to two-and-a-half storeys.

The members of the expert committee include representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board, Wadia Institute of Seismology, Central Ground Water Authority and the Ministry of Environment.

“A meeting of the experts, who are part of the committee preparing carrying capacity report, will meet for two days so that the submission before the NGT can be made,” said RK Pruthi, Member Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). It is the SPCB which is coordinating the preparation of the carrying capacity report.

The NGT in its order in December 2018 had ordered preparation of the carrying capacity report so that further degradation of the two towns, which are very popular hill stations, can be averted. “The Town and Country (TCP) Department is engaged in the preparation of the report and providing all inputs,” said Amit Kashyap, Director, TCP. He added the development plan of Kullu-Manali and other leftout areas was in the final stages of completion.

The NGT had come down heavily on the TCP, Urban Development departments and municipal bodies for their utter failure in enforcing building laws. Surprisingly, even today the state capital of Shimla is growing on the basis of the Interim development Plan (IDP), 1979. The task of preparing Shimla’s Development plan has been entrusted with an agency which is still in the process of making it.

Illegal constructions 

• Illegal constructions have come up in both towns. Forestland has also been encroached upon
• With the NGT monitoring the issue, stringent action is being taken against the violators, many of whom are hotel owners
• If the report points towards glaring violations, the NGT may order a ban or restrictions in construction as had been done in the case of Shimla and Kasauli