Summary:
Despite this, construction of buildings and houses falling under rural areas (89% of total houses) is not regulated by any Act or regulation. SHIMLA: With unauthorised and haphazard construction in tourists towns like Shimla and Kasauli forcing the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to impose restrictions on construction activity, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday, through a notification, has brought 20 urban local bodies under the ambit of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act.With this, towns and revenue villages falling under the jurisdiction of these urban local bodies will have to follow TCP rules while undertaking any construction activity. Thereafter, such similarly placed hill stations and ESZ in the country shall undertake carrying capacity assessment study as per the template and guidelines as finalized by the MoEF&CC within three months. Construction of seismic resistant buildings in rural areas has, thus, not been ensured.Risk from impending threat of earthquake can be gauged from the 1992 simulation of possible effects of a major earthquake in Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh. The move is aimed at ensuring safer buildings and to stop haphazard construction activity.With the issuance of notification, the state government has frozen existing land use map of the above said planning areas for a period of five years..