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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Disaster looms as safety norms are ignored in Himalayan state -Meenakshi Kapoor

Disaster looms as safety norms are ignored in Himalayan state -Meenakshi Kapoor

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published Published on Mar 16, 2021   modified Modified on Jul 14, 2021

-TheThirdPole.net

Authorities in Himachal Pradesh want to legalise unauthorised buildings in highest quake-risk region

After years of legal tug of war, the mountain state of Himachal Pradesh could see a new relaxation of its urban planning rules, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of unfettered development on its cities’ fragile terrains.

According to a 2015 report on landslide vulnerability, most of the built-up areas in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, are in a high-risk zone. Seven out of 12 districts of the state fall in seismic zone V, the most vulnerable. 

The state’s capital Shimla was planned by the British for a population of 16,000 but now has a population of 201,500, according to the last census carried out in 2011. Other cities and towns have also far exceeded their carrying capacity. Facilities such as water supply, sanitation, waste disposal and traffic management have not kept pace with rapid growth. Buildings have come up even over rainwater drains. 

“In many fringe areas around the iconic cities, urban growth started before the areas came under the purview of the [planning] rules.” said Rohit Negi, Associate Professor at the Ambedkar University, Delhi who has conducted research on urban growth in the hill towns of Himachal Pradesh. “The authorities are then left with two options – either to regularise or disrupt the existing economies and livelihoods. These new parts of the city end up lacking essential services and face increased risks,” Negi added.

Flurry of regularisation schemes

In 2019, India’s environmental court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), acknowledged the lack of basic amenities and banned new construction other than residential structures in Manali and McLeodganj towns until facilities for waste management and water supply were developed. 

The apex body for disaster management, the National Disaster Management Authority, mandates regular monitoring of the safety of lifeline buildings such as hospitals, schools, and fire service stations, but in Himachal Pradesh an audit has been pending for five years.

Despite the warnings, the government has recently issued a new amendment of urban rules, proposing to authorise local authorities and state governments to further relax safety norms, both for government buildings and private constructions. 

Ashwani Sharma, a senior journalist from Shimla, links this amendment to municipal elections, which were held shortly after the draft was published. A study conducted in select areas of Shimla has also found that many multi-storey buildings built on high steep slopes are at risk of ‘substantial destruction during disasters’.

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TheThirdPole.net, 16 March, 2021, https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/livelihoods/disaster-safety-ignored-himalayan-state/


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