Punjab Newsline, Shimla, April 10-
In an effort to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the hill state, 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 (ULBs) as a punishable offence attracting both imprisonment and fine.
The Act, originally enacted to curb the unauthorized display of advertisements in public spaces, aims to prevent the defacement of public places by regulating the display of posters,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.
To bridge this gap and ensure uniform implementation, the State Government has enforced the Act in the left-out ULBs in April 2025. These include Municipal Corporations of Dharamshala, Palampur, Mandi, Solan, Baddi, Hamirpur and Una, Municipal Councils of Bilaspur, Ghumarwin, Sujanpur Tihra, Dehra, Jawalamukhi, Nagrota Bagwan, Manali, Jogindernagar, Nerchowk, Sarkaghat, Rohroo, Parwanoo, Mehatpur, Santokhgarh, Sunni, Nadaun, Baijnath and Paprola, and 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.