Govt to check defacement of public property in urban bodies

The state government has decided to strictly enforce the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1985, in various newly constituted urban local bodies. Under the Act, the defacement of properties is a punishable offence that attracts both imprisonment and fine.

The Act, originally enacted to curb unauthorised display of advertisements in public spaces, aims to prevent the defacement of public places by regulating the display of posters, notices, pictures and signs on buildings, walls, trees, and other public properties. Under the provisions of the Act, no such advertisement may be displayed without the prior written permission of the local authorities.

In 1985, the Act was made applicable to the Municipal Corporation of Shimla. Subsequently, through a notification issued in May 1991, it was extended to various municipal committees, notified area committees and municipal corporations in the state. However, the notification did not cover the newly formed urban local bodies that came into existence after 1991 due to administrative upgrade and expansion.

To bridge this gap and ensure uniform implementation, the state government has enforced the Act in the left-out urban local bodies this month. The left-out urban local bodies include the municipal corporations of Dharamsala, Palampur, Mandi, Solan, Baddi, Hamirpur and Una, the municipal councils of Bilaspur, Ghumarwin, Sujanpur Tira, Dehra, Jawalamukhi, Nagrota-Bagwan, Manali, Jogindernagar, Nerchowk, Sarkaghat, Rohru, Parwanoo, Mehatpur, Santokhgarh, Sunni, Nadaun, Baijnath and Paprola and the nagar panchayats of Jawali, Shahpur, Nirmand, Karsog, Chirgaon, Nerwa, Kandaghat, Amb, Tahliwal, Barsar, Sandhole, Dharampur, Baldwara, Bhoranj, Khundian, Nagrota-Surian, Kotla, Jhandutta, Swarghat, Banikhet, Kunihar, Bangana and Shillai.

With the enforcement of the Act, the government aims to maintain the visual integrity and cleanliness of towns and cities while discouraging unauthorised and unsightly displays that mar the natural charm of the region.

Himachal Tribune