After the twin tower demolition in Noida earlier this week, several activists and architects pointed out that Dehradun is also witnessing a growth in high-rise projects built on active seismic zones as the builders are misusing foothill policies, said experts.  

According to the state by-laws adopted from the National Building Code, the height of a building depends on the width of the road along which it is situated. 1 Experts worry that such rampant construction, if gone unchecked, can cause major accidents in the near future and put public safety at risk. "Illegal plotting and multiple constructions are happening in the city. Even if the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) passed the map, people should wait for the RERA certificate, which ensures that it is an authentic building and following the requisite norms. If violations are found, a builder can be penalised and the structure sealed," said Jitender Sirohi, head of department, architecture, Dehradun Institute of Technology. 

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• 1. "We have categorised the state into the plain and hill areas and the buildings as low (up to four storeys high), high (max 10 stories or 30 metres) and very high rise (above 30 metres) categories. Though there are provisions for very high-rise buildings in the Doon, currently there aren't any," said architect Shashi Mohan Srivastava, chief town and country planner, Uttarakhand. However, officials said that amendments were done, and the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority made its own by-laws for foothills. Experts believe that "builders in the state are taking advantage of the foothill policy" under which most of this construction falls. Activist Reenu Paul, said, "First, all these plans were passed and then the policies were introduced accordingly. The zonal plan for Doon Valley also came in later. Construction is happening at a rapid pace and in most cases the civic agencies pretend to take action after construction has already been done or trees and hillocks are cut or flattened. Also, the landscape is becoming weaker, causing so many landslides."