Shimla: In order to check illegal construction the department of Town and Country Planning has started interface enable to submit online complaints.
The interface is provided on its website (www.tcp.hp.gov.in) and any person noticed any illegal construction can lodge complaint. The complainant will have to mention the landmark near such unauthorised constructions and the department officials/officers would take a compulsive action against such activity, as a log will appear on the dashboard of the officer.
The TCP department believe that such social audit would definitely help to curb the violations and in case these are brought to the notice of the department, concerned officer would be forced to take necessary action in time bound manner.
The complainant may or may not disclose his name while submitting the complaint.
To facilitate the applicants, the department of Town and Country Planning has simplified the approval process for building plan and has reduced the permission fee. The department has also provided building regulations and checklists on its website.
Online building planning permission process of the department has won appreciation all across the country and many states are now following Himachal model of building planning permissions.
The state government has claimed of taking strong steps to check illegal construction, but in reality government has failed miserably and under pressure from section of the society was forced to relax norms and introduced retention policy in the past.
In state capital Shimla alone illegal over 5000 houses were constructed illegally, and amaze to all the state government passed a bill in the assembly to regularize those unauthorised construction.
