Rajasthan moves to regulate construction on urban hills under new policy

Jaipur: In an attempt to bring uniformity and oversight to construction activity on urban hills, the Rajasthan government has notified a new regulatory framework governing development on hilly terrain within city limits. The policy lays down clear slope-based categories, construction limits, and land-size requirements, aiming to prevent unregulated growth while allowing limited, planned use of hill areas.

Officials maintain that the move is not about opening hills for development, but about regulating construction that has already been taking place—often without oversight—across several cities.

Under the revised hill bylaws, urban hills have been classified into three categories based on slope angle, with construction permissions linked strictly to terrain gradient and land availability.

The policy permits construction only on hills with slopes up to 15 degrees, subject to strict conditions:

• Farmhouses on 8–15 degree slopes require a minimum land parcel of 5,000 square metres. Construction is limited to 10% of the total area, with buildings capped at 9 metres in height, allowing ground plus one floor only.
• Category ‘B’ farmhouses, intended for larger landholdings, require at least 2 hectares, with construction allowed on up to 20% of the land.
• Religious, spiritual, yoga, wellness, and medical centres must have a minimum land area of 1 hectare, with construction restricted to 15% coverage.
• Hills with slopes above 15 degrees have been declared no-construction zones.

Earlier regulations allowed construction on nearly 60% of hill areas. The revised framework reduces this scope to approximately 30–40%, according to official estimates.

Despite the regulatory intent, urban planners and environmental experts have raised concerns over the absence of a standardised method for measuring slope.

“There is no prescribed GIS-based or scientific formula for slope assessment,” said a senior planning expert. “In cities where hills have mixed gradients, determining eligibility through a single measurement is impractical and open to misuse.”

Experts also caution that micro-level cutting of hill surfaces could be used to artificially reduce slope readings, defeating the purpose of regulation.

Several Rajasthan cities have already witnessed significant loss of hill terrain due to mining and unregulated activity. In and around Jaipur, areas such as Goner, Bassi, Kalwad, and Jhalana have seen hills flattened over the years, leaving behind large tracts of vacant land.

Similar trends have been reported from Banswara, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Bundi, Pratapgarh, and Dungarpur, where isolated hill ranges—separate from the Aravalli chain—are under pressure from mining operations.

Urban development experts warn that these cleared or weakened hill parcels could now become focal points for residential colonies or multi-storey buildings if enforcement remains weak.

While the policy is officially framed as a conservation-oriented regulatory model, critics argue that its success will depend entirely on monitoring, enforcement, and transparent slope assessment.

“Without strict technical benchmarks and on-ground checks, a regulation meant to protect hills could end up formalising their gradual conversion,” an environmental analyst observed.

As Rajasthan’s cities continue to expand, the new hill bylaws mark a critical test—whether regulation can genuinely safeguard fragile urban landscapes or merely manage their transition into built spaces.