Shimla, Sep 2 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced to ban cutting of hills for construction, except for rebuilding disaster-affected buildings and roads, till September 16.

Likewise, fresh planning permission or building permissions will also be banned for commercial or tourism units in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Solan and Chamba districts during this period, an official statement said.

During the monsoon season, unprecedented environmental disruptions have been witnessed across the state, which includes catastrophic landslides, land subsidence, river bank failures and severe erosion leading to the tragic loss of lives and properties.

A government spokesperson told the media the ban has been imposed to ensure safety to human lives, infrastructure, to preserve the fragile ecological environment and with the intention to limit any such damage in the future.

The violations will be dealt with as per law, added the spokesperson.