Real estate boom pushes hills to the edge in Mussoorie

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday directed the state government to respond to an application flagging a serious threat to the fragile ecology of the foothills between Dehradun and Mussoorie due to unchecked illegal construction. The petition alleged rampant building activity in violation of regulations and flagged that despite building bylaws being amended in 2015 to regulate construction in fragile hill belts, its implementation was “virtually non-existent”. Heavy traffic from Dehradun chokes Library Chowk; and a multi-storey under construction structure blocks a part of Mall Road in Mussoorie. (AMIT BATHLA/HT)This isn’t the first time the court has intervened to regulate a problem that is now endangering the very survival of the Queen of the Hills. Three weeks ago, the high court halted the felling of trees in Mussoorie’s Hussain Gunj forest till valid permission was obtained from the competent authority. It was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging illegal cutting of trees during road widening work by the Mussoorie Nagar Palika Parishad in a notified forest zone. Many old oak trees were felled without obtaining mandatory permission from the forest department by the time the court intervened. On December 24 last year, the Uttarakhand high court issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Union and Uttarakhand governments over 7,000 missing forest boundary pillars in Mussoorie Forest Division. Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the petitioner Naresh Chaudhary, said the systematic obliteration of these crucial demarcation markers had opened the floodgates for rampant encroachment, illegal construction, and ecological plunder in one of India’s most fragile and critical forest ecosystems. “The petition contends that this disaster is not accidental but the result of a deeply entrenched and malevolent nexus between complicit forest officials, powerful political interests, and land mafias.” Also Read: Four booked for unauthorised construction on airport land And in July 2023, a committee set up by the National Green Tribunal submitted its report on Mussoorie, recommending avoiding the expansion of construction activities. The 281-page report listed recommendations and remedial measures for preventing environmental damage to the hill station. Unfortunately, many of these recommendations appear to exist only on paper. On a recent visit to Mussoorie, HT’s reporters found construction activity on in full swing—roads, multi-storeyed hotels, cottages, all being carved out of the fragile hills. Mussoorie’s problems are best explained in a century-old quote popularised by the real estate and hospitality business—location, location, location . Aptly, many of the problems plaguing the Queen of the Hills, nestled at an altitude of around 2,000m in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas, have to do with real estate and hospitality. The last census, in 2011, put Mussoorie’s population at 30,118 , and estimates suggest that this rose to 93,520 in 2022. Population density has also surged — from 98 people per sq km in 1901 to 511 per sq km in 2011. By 2022, the number was in excess of 1,600. During peak tourist months of May, June and July, the density can go even higher. Also Read: NGT rejects deemed environmental clearance for multi-sports arena in Dwarka At just around 290 km from Delhi, Mussoorie, courtesy a new expressway inaugurated earlier this month, is now just around three to three-and-half hours from the Capital by road. The hill town, which has already witnessed a sharp rise in tourist footfall in recent years, with numbers nearly doubling from 1.2 million tourists in 2022 to 2.1 million in 2024, according to data from the Uttarakhand tourism department, could see a boom this year. The peak tourist season is in the summer months of May and June, when temperatures soar in the plains, driving a surge in visitors to the hill station. The growth in population and the influx of tourists has driven a construction boom in the hill town. Mussoorie currently has 5,000-6,000 buildings, including an estimated 400-500 hotels. An official in the state government said that the exact number of buildings may be even more than that. “Even we don’t have a realistic picture of the exact number of buildings in the town. It is definitely more than the registered figures,” this person added, requesting anonymity. Ajay Malik, assistant engineer at the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), said nearly 3,000 buildings have come up after the authority was constituted in 1984. Experts warn that the scale of construction is at odds with the town’s geographical limitations. A 1998 study on slope categories in Mussoorie found that nearly 79% of the area falls in slopes steeper than 30 degrees, making them unsuitable for heavy construction. Only about 13 sq km has slope below 30 degrees, and of this, 11 sq km is already under built-up area, leaving barely 2 sq km available for relatively safe construction. Such fears are compounded by findings of a survey conducted by the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC), Dehradun, which assessed 3,344 buildings in Mussoorie in 2010. Its report , reviewed by HT , indicated that seismic safety norms are often ignored in town, even in multi-storeyed structures. It claims that 19% of the surveyed hotel buildings fall in high and very high probability categories of grade 4 and grade 5 damage in the event of an earthquake. Also Read: ₹25 cr encroachment on GMDA land in Kadarpur cleared by police, civic teams Mussoorie Nagar Palika chairperson Meera Saklani acknowledged the growing pressure. “There is a construction explosion in the town, largely driven by the need to accommodate the ever-increasing number of tourists,” she said. But there’s only so much the town can handle. A scientist from the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), who has worked in Joshimath, the holy town that hit the headlines in January 2023,when widespread instances of subsidence came to light, drew parallels between Mussoorie and Joshimath (now Jyotirmath). “The bearing capacity of hill slopes is critical. Foundations must be designed based on soil strength, and hill cutting and filling must be carried out with proper safeguards. Natural drainage channels should not be obstructed. If these aspects are ignored, buildings develop cracks and settlement issues...problems that were clearly observed in Joshimath,” added this person who asked not to be named. Indeed, NGT’s 2023 order setting up a committee came after it was told that the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority had failed to go by a 2001 study on the town’s carrying capacity carried out by Dr H Ramachandran and Dr Nira Ramachandran of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, and updated in 2011, and which said no new construction activity was to be allowed. Chief secretary Anand Bardhan said the carrying capacity of the town was assessed in 2023 on the existing infrastructure by a joint committee constituted by NGT and the committee submitted its report to NGT. R Rajesh Kumar, secretary (housing), said that construction is banned in notified areas and regulated in unnotified areas to check indiscriminate construction within the town. And with construction, comes waste. Historian Gopal Bhardwaj said, “It is painful to see the fate of Camels Back road which was built in 1828; the who’s who of India, including Rabindranath Tagore, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi have walked on it , but it is now a dumping yard for construction waste which is also strewn all over on the hillside .” That’s evident during the visit by HT’s reporters. On the stretch from Library Chowk to Mall Road, a multi-storey structure, likely a hotel or guest house, is coming up on a steep slope, with the excavation cutting into the rocky hillside. Loose debris and exposed rock face dominate the foreground, draped with green and yellow safety nets to check falling stones, though these appear loosely secured. Above, existing buildings perch close to the edge, underscoring the dense and often precarious construction along the ridge. Meera Saklani acknowledged that unauthorised construction is rampant, across both residential and commercial buildings. “Hotels ranging from one storey to as many as six or seven storeys are coming up here, which is against the norms.”  To regulate further expansion, MDDA claims to have demarcated the unnotified areas into ‘freeze’ and ‘non-freeze’ zones. Officials said building permissions in the freeze zone are restricted to structures with a covered area of up to 100 square metres, while in non-freeze zones, approvals are granted for up to 150 square metres, subject to conditions such as slope limits of 30 degrees and a maximum permissible height of 11 metres. Such permissions are granted only to permanent residents of Mussoorie, MDDA  officials added, as part of efforts to curb unchecked construction in the ecologically sensitive hill town. MDDA’s Malik added, “We take action against unauthorised constructions that violate building bylaws or approved plans. A formal case is registered and hearings are conducted before designated courts. If the offence is compoundable, it is dealt with accordingly, and structures are demolished where required.”  However, a senior official from the MDDA, who asked not to be named, said that even when they act against defaulters, “construction resumes within a few days.” When the NGT took suo motu cognizance of a media report on Joshimath (now Jyotirmath) issue in 2023, it passed remarks that “this is also a warning for Mussoorie where unplanned constructions have taken place and are still taking place.” “Proponents of development such as Uttarakhand Hotels and Restaurant Association do not want any control on developmental activities. The area has enormous reservoirs of ice and snow. On account of unplanned human settlements, natural ecology and recharge of aquifers are affected. Over concretization leads to landslides.....traffic congestion adds to the burden on the mountain’s road. Excessive building activities are beyond the capacity of Mussoorie,” it added at the time. Dr Vikram Gupta, a scientist at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, said studies conducted for Mussoorie indicate that the geological conditions in town are extremely fragile, and added that construction activities in such conditions should be strictly restricted. “Limestone formations in Mussoorie are weak and riddled with micro-cracks, lacking structural strength.” MC Ghildiyal, a retired IFS officer, and secretary of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC), which oversees the environmental concerns in Doon Valley, including Mussoorie, said, “A detailed assessment of Mussoorie’s growth indicates significant changes over the past three decades in terms of population, land use, and infrastructure demands. Carrying capacity studies were conducted earlier, but there is a need for a fresh, comprehensive study covering all aspects. There have been substantial shifts in forest cover, agricultural land, and built-up areas. Around 72.57% of Mussoorie falls under forest land, attracting provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, while agricultural land has declined due to construction activities. Rapid population growth and increased tourist inflow have put additional pressure on water supply, sewage systems, and waste management infrastructure.” Geography Professor JS Rawat said Mussoorie lies in a complex geological setting near the Main Boundary Thrust, comprising weak, fractured limestone and dolomitic rocks. He said that rain-fed springs and tributaries are drying up, and there is need for water conservation. He added that active chemical weathering and erosion are accelerating mass wasting processes like soil creep, leading to cracks in the terrain, and described the region as environmentally fragile. Rawat said it is important to restrict tree felling, regulate building heights, rejuvenate springs, and map recharge zones using GIS and remote sensing technologies. During tourist season, the town also has to deal with a surge in traffic. Around 8,000 vehicles reach Mussoorie every day during summer. On weekends, the number surges to around 15,000. Mussoorie doesn’t have the roads to accommodate this traffic; nor does it have parking. At present, about 414 hotels and homestays operate in Mussoorie according toDehradun Police, collectively offering parking space for approximately 4,590 vehicles. On a visit in April, well before peak season, HT’s reporters found Library Chowk in Mussoorie, the heart of the hill station choked with traffic in the mid-morning on a week day. Kuldeep Singh, the policeman in charge of the Library Chowk, said the junction remains a persistent choke point, with traffic snarls common even on weekdays and worsening significantly over the weekends. Senior sub inspector (SSI) SK Bhati of Mussoorie police station said they were struggling with shortage of staff at the police station, which aggravates the problem. “Of the 110 sanctioned staff at the police station, we currently have approximately 50 personnel,” he said, adding that widening roads is not an option because there is no room. “The burden on Mussoorie has become excessive. Hotels are coming up rapidly to cater to rising tourist numbers, but most lack adequate parking facilities, leading to chaos on the roads. We need parking for at least 20,000 vehicles,” Saklani added. September 15 and 16 in 2025 provided a glimpse of what could be if the situation isn’t addressed. On that day , it rained heavily; multiple roads developed cracks, houses reported structural damage, and landslides were triggered across vulnerable stretches. “The events underscored the strain on the town’s fragile ecology, cautioning that unchecked and unplanned construction could lead to a major tragedy if timely corrective measures are not taken,” said Sunil Arora, a resident of the town, and owner of the iconic Cambridge Book Depot on Mall Road. Beyond the strain on infrastructure and civic services, the changing character of Mussoorie is also being felt by tourists, many of whom say the hill town has lost much of its earlier charm amid rising congestion and unplanned growth. “Earlier, when I used to visit Mussoorie in the 1990s, it felt like a quiet hill retreat, clean air, less crowd, and a sense of calm. Now, there is congestion everywhere, traffic jams, and unplanned construction. It has lost much of its old charm,” said Rajesh Verma, 52, a resident of Meerut. “Mussoorie used to feel peaceful and close to nature, but now it appears overburdened. Traffic starts building up even before you enter the town, and the chaos has taken over what was once a calm destination,” said Aman Khan, 35, from Lucknow. Long-time residents and prominent voices who have closely witnessed Mussoorie’s transformation over the decades have also expressed concern over the town’s rapid and unregulated growth. Author Ganesh Saili, a native of the hill town, said, “The Mussoorie we knew is fading. It was once a small, close-knit place where people connected easily. Today, that character has been eroded. The focus has shifted almost entirely to commercial interests, with little regard for the town itself. Its carrying capacity has clearly been exceeded, where a limited number of visitors could be sustained, the influx now runs into several times that.” Sunil Arora, echoed similar concerns. “Mussoorie is no longer what it used to be. The pace and scale of change have been overwhelming, and the increasing crowd and congestion have altered the town’s original charm,” he said. Since first taking up the matter in 2023, the NGT has issued multiple directions on Mussoorie and, in March, pulled up the state over “inaction”, directing the chief secretary to file a detailed compliance affidavit within four weeks - underscoring the lack of seriousness from the government despite its claims of taking steps. Uttarakhand government special secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate said the affidavit hasn’t been filed yet. Cabinet minister and local MLA Ganesh Joshi acknowledged that Mussoorie is under increasing strain, adding that new construction in the town has been banned in compliance with directions from the NGT. “We are developing new destinations around the hill town to ease the pressure on Mussoorie, so that tourists do not concentrate only here,” he said. Joshi said, “All necessary steps are being taken at the government level to ensure that Mussoorie does not come under further strain. We are also taking action against unregulated construction.” He is principal correspondent based at Bhopal. He covers environment and wildlife, state administration, BJP and other saffron organisations. He has special interest in social issues based stories.