Solan: Mindless construction leaves little room for civic amenities

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 5

The Kleen ward of the Solan Municipal Corporation is a perfect example of how haphazard construction with little thought for civic amenities can make life difficult for people.

Encroachments on roadside have hampered the expansion of amenities and residents find it difficult to get a power line or a sewerage connection to their houses.

Though the ward enjoys proximity to the bus stand, the railway line and the Solan-Shimla National Highway, unplanned construction has rendered the area devoid of basic facilities.

The residents rue that despite availability of government land, some people do not permit expansion of facilities like parking, power infrastructure extension, etc., which is causing a lot of problems to the them.

The illegal occupation of land is on the rise, as the authorities have failed to put a check on such people due to their political clout. This has created a situation where the lanes have become so narrow that even an ambulance cannot pass.

“With no consideration even for exigencies when emergency vehicles like fire tenders and ambulance need a clear passage, people have conveniently raised constructions over vacant government land in their vicinity,” rued Prem Chand, a ward resident.

To make matters worse, houses have come up in clusters on hill, leaving no space for sewerage connectivity. “Cleanliness suffers in the ward as some people care do not keep surroundings clean while blaming the civic body for garbage strewn at every nook and corner,” said Usha, a housewife.

People who fail to get accommodation elsewhere in the town live on rent here, as several house owners have relocated to other areas due to lack of amenities and problems they encounter in arranging basic facilities.

In violation of norms of the Town and Country Planning Department, the requisite setbacks, which enable civic amenities like laying of sewerage and water connection, are missing in a large number of buildings. Parking of vehicles along roadside have added to the hardships of the residents as it leaves little space for the smooth flow of traffic.