Una, February 3: A public awareness meeting was organized today (Tuesday) by the Sub-Divisional Town and Country Planning Office, Una, in the auditorium of the Santoshgarh Municipal Council. The meeting was chaired by Assistant Town Planner Nirmal Singh.
In the meeting, Nirmal Singh discussed in detail the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, and the rules and regulations applicable in the Santoshgarh planning area. He urged the elected representatives present to create awareness among the general public in their respective areas so that planned development can take place while maintaining environmental balance.
Nirmal Singh stated that it is mandatory to obtain permission from the Town and Country Planning Department before purchasing land and undertaking construction. He also explained that under Section 16(C) of the Act, approval from the department is required before selling plots of land. Buyers were also advised to purchase only those subdivided plots that have been approved by the department.
He also informed the attendees about the provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act and explained that registration is mandatory for plotting on 500 square meters of land or for the construction and sale of more than eight apartments in a notified planning area. Furthermore, in the district, if construction is undertaken on more than 1000 square meters of land, the area will be considered a deemed planning area, where departmental approval and RERA registration will be mandatory. The Assistant Town Planner also appealed to the people to be aware of the problems caused by illegal construction and urged them not to undertake construction without permission.
During this time, Planning Officer Ramesh Chand, Senior Draftsman Ravi Kishore, and Junior Engineer Radha Devi, along with other departmental officials, were present.