Govt must ensure building norms are strictly enforced, vertical construction is restricted

The state government is trying to strictly enforce building norms but the adverse impact of climate change resulting in cloudbursts, flashfloods and landslides is a wakeup call for it to ensure that the bylaws are earnestly followed and vertical constructions, especially in hilly areas, are restricted.

In a welcome move, the Cabinet had in its last meeting approved model bylaws for regulating construction activities in villages, particularly in the light of devastation caused by heavy rain during the ongoing monsoon season. The aim of the decision is to ensure planned construction even in rural areas, which fall outside the purview of the planning area.

However, it is not the lack of building norms but their non-implementation and absent monitoring that have resulted in many towns turning into concrete jungles with haphazard construction. Villagers’ opposition to the inclusion of their panchayats in the planning area fearing that the building norms will then be strictly enforced should in no way deter the government from bringing the entire state under the ambit of the planning area.

The mushrooming of hotels, guesthouses, homestays, universities, colleges and real estate projects is putting additional burden on land. The demand for undertaking a carrying-capacity study of most of the towns is getting louder so that the civic amenities do not get under strain. The creation of urban corridors on account of ribbon development all along four-lane national and state highways is also creating the problem of haphazard growth in rural areas along these infrastructure.

The videos of high-rise buildings collapsing like a pack of cards in the state in recent years has necessitated the strict regulation of construction activities to avert a disaster. The situation obtaining due to erratic heavy rainfall during the past three monsoon seasons makes it a must to restrict construction activities, especially in popular tourist places like Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Dharamsala, McLeodganj and Kasauli.

In such a scenario, the government must have a rethink on its decision to allow vertical construction up to 20 storeys in the state. On September 29, 2024, the state government had issued a notification amending the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Rules, 2014, to allow the construction of high-rise commercial buildings, including tourism units and real-estate projects.

The construction of such high-rise structures was to be based on a floor-area ratio (FAR) and the size of the plots with certain checks and balances like slope not more than 15 degrees to 20 degrees. However, considering the latest situation, the construction of high-rise buildings can prove to be disastrous. Though the amendment has been challenged in the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, the government must have a rethink and tread cautiously.

It is under the changed scenario arising out of the adverse impact of global warming and climate change that it becomes even more imperative to reduce the urban sprawl, especially in towns that are over-saturated, exceeding their carrying capacity. The decision to increase green belts in the state capital is laudable but there is need for strict restrictions on construction, especially in green belts and the core areas of important towns.

The state government has taken steps to ensure that construction norms are enforced even in rural areas, which, too, are witnessing urban area-like growth. The Town and Country Planning Department is also trying to bring most of the towns under the ambit of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, but many fast-growing towns have already witnessed a spurt in construction activity, especially of hotels and tourism units. As such, there is need to ensure that construction norms are applicable in the entire state, including rural areas.