The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on September 14, 2026, issued the Draft of the Kasauli Cantonment Building Bye-Laws, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• The Bye-laws aim to establish a modern structural, environmental, and safety framework within the cantonment limits. Under the new rules, any building construction, reconstruction, or alteration requires mandatory registration and online submission through the e-Chhawani portal by a registered architect. The cantonment is divided into two primary zones to balance civic expansion with military security: Zone I (Notified Civil Area), which permits a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 1.75 with ground coverage up to 100% depending on plot size, and Zone II (Outside Civil Area), which limits the FSI to 0.50 and sets a strict floor ceiling of G+1 or Stilt+2. Crucially, to protect military operations and mitigate visibility risks into sensitive A-1 Defence Land, a severe height restriction of 5 metres is enforced on designated properties directly abutting military installations, while a standard 13.45-metre height cap applies elsewhere.
• Furthermore, the bye-laws impose stringent internal engineering specifications, requiring habitable rooms to be at least 9.5 square metres with a 2.75-metre ceiling height, while completely banning basements from being used for commercial or residential occupancy. For larger structures, fire safety is heavily regulated through mandatory multi-exit capacities, enclosed non-combustible stairwells, and strict travel distance limits.
• The framework also targets sustainability and accessibility by making rooftop solar panels and rainwater harvesting mandatory for plots exceeding 250 square metres, offering scaled development-fee refunds for smaller plots that opt-in, and requiring all public buildings to integrate barrier-free infrastructure like ramps, Braille signage, and tactile flooring for differently-abled citizens. Finally, given Kasauli's mountainous terrain, all foundational engineering shall strictly comply with national Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) seismic codes and specific hillside landslide-hazard protection guidelines to ensure structural durability.
• Objections or suggestions are invited till October 14, 2026.
[Notification No. – S.R.O. 44(E)]
