Shimla, Aug. 24 -- Himachal Pradesh, facing losses annually owing to large-scale destruction during monsoons, is preparing regional development plans for Shimla, Kullu and Kangra. Calling the repeated disasters a "wake-up call," Himachal Pradesh town and country planning and technical education minister Rajesh Dharmani stressed on regulatory steps, while participating in the debate on the disaster and informed the house that the regional plans being developed for Shimla, Kullu and Kangra would be extended across the state in collaboration with the School of Planning and Architecture. Not just this, the state government has also decided to get land mapping done to regulate building construction more strictly by identifying safe zones for future projects. This mapping exercise will be carried out with the help of the central government to determine which areas are suitable for construction and which are prone to disasters. Dharmani said, "People purchasing 1,000 square metres of land in urban areas and 600 square metres under town and country planning (TCP) areas will now come under the purview of TCP rules. "They will have to take prior permission from the department and get their building maps approved before starting any construction work."This assumes significance as Himachal Pradesh since June 20, has witnessed damage to 303 houses, along with significant losses to crops, horticulture and public infrastructure. The SDMA estimated the total financial loss during the monsoon season at over Rs.2,28,226.86 lakh with district-wise, Mandi having suffered the heaviest infrastructural losses, while Kangra, Kullu and Chamba have seen widespread damage to homes, roads and power networks. Dharmani listed regulations like declaring no-construction zones within five metres vertically and seven metres horizontally in landslide-prone slopes, making TCP approval mandatory for construction above 650 square metres in urban and special development areas and an integrating environmental, social and economic planning to identify residential, commercial and green zones. He added that retrofitting old, vulnerable structures, regulating dumping sites for road projects and empowering Panchayati Raj institutions to approve rural construction maps are among the next interventions. Dharmani slammed the Jai Ram Thakur led previous BJP government for removing the condition of obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC) for building construction just before the assembly elections, for political gains. He said that during that period, people constructed houses at their own will without following regulations, which has contributed to the present situation where buildings and electric poles are collapsing. Dharmani said that if the NOC condition had been in force, construction would have taken place as per safety norms, and such risks could have been avoided. He emphasised that such mistakes should not be repeated. Pointing out that the extreme rainfall and cloudburst-like conditions were causing unprecedented loss in the state, Dharmani said, "We need scientific studies, disaster loss assessments and effective risk-reduction strategies. Some disasters like earthquakes and lightning are beyond control, but their damage can be minimised through strict planning norms, as seen in Japan. At the same time, human activities are worsening vulnerabilities."...