Rajasthan assembly election 2018: Mt Abu to boycott polls over construction ban

With two-weeks left for the poll day, campaigning has reached fever pitch in the state. Posters, banners and billboards exhibit the political frenzy. But in Mt Abu, political activities are subdued and the mood is sombre.
Pink and white slips pasted on vehicles and walls of most shops and establishments say it all. ‘Boycott the elections,’ is the message. There is a unity in the appeal as the residents and business establishments cannot repair their houses, nor construct new ones. The status-quo is in place for the past 25 years. The reason: the government has failed to get a by-law notified for the tourist hub, a hill station in the desert state.

The story goes back to 1994, when the Rajasthan High Court had first enforced a ban on new construction. It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2002. In the 16 years since then, it has become messier with the National Green Tribunal cracking the whip and the state government taking it easy.

“It is an absolute denial of the right to ‘roti, kapda and makan’ for the residents of Mt Abu by the state. Nobody has been listening to us in spite of our constant knocking on every door,” says Sunil Acharya, president of the Abu Snagharsh Samiti. The body was formed in 2016 to take up the cause.

“We have been facing legal and administrative hurdles since 1994 in some form or the other. It’s been 25 years and we have run out of patience. That’s why, the 17,000 voters of the town have decided to boycott the election this time,” said restauranteur Anil Kumar.

But the reality is somewhat different. The absence of by-laws has only affected law abiding people. There is no shortage of illegal constructions, which have been happening in connivance with government officials. According to reports, the town had 182 new constructions between 1980 and 1994, when permission was allowed.

But Kumar said, “Between 1994 and 2015, 1,632 constructions took place in the town. All these constructions were done in the absence of by-laws and in violation of the master plan.” The hill station was declared an eco-sensitive zone by the environment ministry in 2009, extending the stay on any construction. In pursuance, the Supreme Court gave directions to draft a zonal master plan. “The zonal master plan 2030 was finally drafted in adherence to the directions of the SC but when it went to the National Green Tribunal new objections were raised,” said Acharya.

“Finally, the municipality of Mt Abu drafted the Eco Sensitive Zone Building Bylaws in 2018 and they were finalized by a committee and sent by the DLB on May 21 this year for approval,” said Acharya.

Since then, the residents have been awaiting approval of the by-laws and their gazette notification. In order to get an early approval of the by-laws, people in Mt Abu went on an indefinite shutdown of the tourist town on October 3. They called off the strike four days after the polls were announced in the state.