New Delhi: After facing devastating effects of natural disasters only two months ago, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to allow construction in as many as 17 sacrosanct green belts in Shimla.The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet amended the Shimla Development Plan (SDP) to allow new constructions in the green belt area lying above the road from Navbahar to Ram Chandra Chowk, Machhiwali Kothi, Christ Church, Lakkar Bazar, IGMC and Sanjauli Chowk, the Tribune reported. The move has come in the wake of torrential rains that caused unprecedented damage in the state capital in August. Worsening climate and constructions in the region often combine to increase the human cost of human disasters in the region. More interestingly, the government had enforced a complete ban on construction activities in these belts in December 2000. The 17 green belts, spread over 414.36 hectares, were protected from constructions to save the deodar forests. It is estimated that the rains in August that were accompanied by landslides and flash floods led to the loss of nearly 1,000 deodar trees. According to the report, construction has only been allowed on land where there are no trees but the entire area is already heavily burdened with buildings and could pose a threat to the forests. The Supreme Court gave a nod to the SDP on May 3 followed by the Cabinet’s approval on June 19. However, the apex court had ordered that the notified SDP should be kept on hold till all objections were addressed. A study conducted in 2013, based on the Environmental Impact Assessment of the green belts, recommended a complete ban on construction activity in Shimla. The report highlighted the rampant haphazard construction, portraying Shimla’s transformation from the “Queen of Hills” into an urban nightmare. Heavy rains in July and August had wreaked havoc in multiple areas of Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread damage to buildings and properties. Over 200 people died and nearly 11,000 houses were partially or completely damaged, the Economic Times reported. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said his state would take a year to recover from the damage incurred in this year’s monsoon season and the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rain was about Rs 10,000 crore.