Govt to identify more green pockets in Shimla: Min

In a bid to keep the green umbrella intact in the capital city and its surrounding areas, the Himachal Pradesh government would identify more green pockets and impose ban on construction activities in these areas, a state minister said today.
Himachal Pradesh Urban Development and Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma said there are 17 green pockets in the existing plan and more green pockets would be identified to impose ban on construction activities in surrounding areas of the town and keep the green cover intact.
The state government is keen to bring the new "retention policy" to regularise the illegal structures and decided to identify and add few more green pockets in the Shimla town, he said.

Bonafide residents in rural areas had been allowed to carry out development activities subject to fulfilment of self imposed regulations for construction of residential buildings and farm houses upto 600 Sq mt, the minister said.
One extra parking floor and commercial buildings with 100 sq mt floor area with minimum set back of two meter in front and 1.50 metre in rear and sides from the adjoining property has been made mandatory, he said.
Sharma said the government has also reduced the planning permission fees by half whereas the economically weaker sections, BPL and Rashtriya Awas Yojana beneficiaries had been fully exempted from paying change of land use as well as planning permission fees.

On the other hand, the bonafide residents of the area also need not to pay change of land use fee for residential activity, he added.

The Minister said the change of land use fees for industrial use had been reduced by half as per the assurance made by the Chief Minister in the Assembly.
Besides, the height of buildings had been increased for organised housing projects across the state, he said, adding that now it would be 25 meter for hilly areas and 30 meter for plain areas.
The decision would help promoters to achieve the permissible floor areas ratio and also to leave sufficient areas under parking and open spaces, he said.