‘No govt building to come up near water bodies, policy in the works’

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday that the state government has decided to change the construction norms near rivers and formulate a policy to prevent loss of life and property in the future.

- Shailee Dogra

ll government buildings will now be established ata safe distance of 100 to 150 metres from such water bodies.

The decision was taken by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during the Day 2 of cabinet meetings in Shimla on Tuesday.

“We have observed that several government institutions are constructed along riverbanks, and crores of rupees are spent on site development. The government is formulating a policy to prevent loss of life and property in the future. All government buildings will now be established ata safe distance of 100 to 150 metres from such water bodies.”

‘A separate committee will also look into settlements of people who have been living close to rivers for generations. “A committee is also being formed to study old settlements along rivers and recommend future measures.”

Cabinet approves structural safety audits of buildings across state

Acting on the recommendations of the cabinet panel on disaster management and rehabilitation, the Himachal government also approved for coducting the structural safety audits of buildings across state to assess their disaster resilience.

The subcommittee, headed by revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi, was formed to examine and suggest measures for strengthening the state’s disaster preparedness and rehabilitation mechanisms. Based on these audits, retrofitting measures will be undertaken to minimise the risk of structural damage during disasters.