Notices served on 90 builders for violating norms in Solan

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 1

In a bid to check mushrooming of illegal structures raised without seeking the mandatory permission from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, officials have issued as many as 90 notices to builders in various parts of the district.

Various buildings in Solan, Chail, Kasauli, Barog and Kandaghat have been served such notices where builders have been asked to either explain their stand within 15 days or face further onslaught from TCP officials.

It was worth mentioning that palatial buildings extending for six to seven storeys have been raised in these areas, especially along the Kalka-Shimla national highway, in violation of the laid three plus one norm. With neither setbacks nor norms like leaving space for parking having been observed, these buildings were enjoying water and power connection which is not supposed to be granted without receiving a no objection certificate from the TCP Department.

Leela Shyam, a town planner, said officials of the TCP Department had conducted a survey in 2013-14 enlisting such buildings after receiving directions from the High Court. Though notices were served to all such structures, a little compliance had been received.

With the successive state government introducing policies to regularise illegal structures, erring builders had made it a habit to raise buildings violating norms in the hope of getting them regularised later. Though the provision of regularising illegal structures was meant to benefit state agriculturists, the provision was being exploited by commercial builders.

Leela Shyam said the Power and Irrigation and Public Health Departments had also been directed to disconnect power and water connections of such buildings so that it acts as a deterrent for wrong doers.

Though the Kalka-Shimla national highway falls under the seismic zone IV, which is vulnerable to earthquakes, builders neither bother to get the structural designs approved from an engineer nor adhere to guidelines of the TCP Department.