Defacing public spaces in urban local bodies is punishable in Himachal 

Shimla, April 10 (IANS) In an effort to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the hill state, the Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday said it has enforced provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act of 1985 in newly constituted urban local bodies as a punishable offence attracting both imprisonment and fine. 

The Act, originally enacted to curb the unauthorised display of advertisements in public spaces, aims to prevent the defacement of public places by regulating the display of posters,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 written permission from the local authority concerned, an official statement said.

Initially, 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 across the state.

However, the notification did not cover the newly constituted urban local bodies that came into existence after 1991 due to administrative upgrades 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.

They include Municipal Corporations of Dharamsala, 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.

With this enforcement, the government said it 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.