Attempts to tighten construction rules after recent natural disasters are facing resistance. Councillors of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) are strongly opposing the restriction on construction below road level on the valley side of the city.
At a public hearing held before the Director of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, more than 12 councillors raised objections to the new rules. The TCP Department had issued a notification on June 7, 2025, restricting construction one metre below road level on the valley side in all hilly areas along national highways, state highways, and within Shimla MC limits.
The government’s notification aims to ensure that the valley view remains open. Under the earlier building norms, construction on the valley side was allowed up to 1.5 metres above road level. However, despite repeated cases of collapsed and damaged buildings in the state, people continue to resist stricter norms and are opposing this notification as well.
Along with councillors, many people also voiced their objections to the new rules. The TCP Department will now forward all objections and suggestions to the state government, which will take the final decision. Many argued that while restricting construction along highways is understandable to protect valley views, enforcing the same within city limits is impractical.
The councillors pointed out that the rule would result in huge financial losses for land and property owners who have purchased land in Shimla at very high prices. With hundreds of big and small roads within the MC area, they feel it will not be practical to restrict all valley-side constructions one metre below road level.
The new draft rules, called the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Fifteenth Amendment) Rules, 2025, came into effect from the date of publication in the e-Gazette. They will apply to all hilly areas notified as planning or special areas under the TCP Act, 1977. Any area 600 metres above sea level with an average slope of 30 degrees falls in this category.
The government’s focus is on making construction safer so that homes can damage due to disasters like cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods can be minimised. The last three monsoon seasons have brought a rise in such calamities, underlining the need for stricter norms.
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