Himachal to regularise illegal constructions, strengthen ombudsman

The Himachal Pradesh government Tuesday decided to bring two key bills in the ensuing winter session of the legislature - one regularising over 20,000 unauthorised constructions and the second, strengthening the ombudsman.

The cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, gave its nod to table the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill 2014 in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha session for paving the way for regularisation of the unauthorised constructions in the state.

A decision was taken to withdraw the previous bill and instead introduce a fresh Lokayukta Bill of 2014 in the session by incorporating in it a new section providing for contempt of court, an official statement said.

The winter session, which will start Dec 5, will continue till Dec 12.

The cabinet also approved opening three sub-divisional town and country planning offices in Manali, Palampur and Paonta Sahib to ensure efficient regulation and management of colonies and apartments in these places.

It also approved the Himachal Pradesh Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Rules 2005, as well as enhancement of value added tax (VAT) on diesel.