Constructions along highways, in Shimla MC area should now be one metre below road level

The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department has issued a notification banning construction above the road level on the valley side in hilly areas along the four-lane roads and national highways.

The TCP Department had issued a notification regarding the valley view regulation on June 7. As per the notification, all constructions will now should be one metre below the road level in all hilly areas along four-lane roads, national highways and within the Shimla Municipal Corporation jurisdiction. As per the existing rules, construction on the valley side has been restricted to 1.5 metre above the road level.

The draft rules have been termed as the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2025. These rules shall come into effect from the date of publication in the e-Gazette. These rules shall be applicable to all hilly areas of the state that have been notified as planning/special areas under the statutory provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1977.

“The valley side view regulations shall be applicable to constructions along the identified stretches of four-lane roads and national highways. Besides, these regulations shall also be applicable to constructions along all roads falling within the jurisdiction of the Shimla Municipal Corporation,” the notification reads. All areas that are 600 metres above sea level and have an average slope of 30 degrees shall fall in the category of hilly areas.

The TCP Department has invited written objections or suggestions from persons who will be affected by these draft rules within 30 days from the date of their publication in the official gazette.

TCP Minister Rajesh Dharmani had earlier said that since constructions on the valley side obstruct view, there was an urgent need to restrict constructions below the road level keeping in view that Himachal is a tourist state.