Saving Shimla: The Winds Of Change

Far from the maddening urban crowds, sweltering heat, polluted air, and vehicular chaos of the northern plains thrives a quiet hill town—an erstwhile summer capital of British India, famous for its colonial architecture, refreshing climate, and, of course, the iconic Mall, a long-cherished paradise for walkers and tourists. It is in this tranquil setting of whispering cedars and oak green belts that time seems to slow down.

The elegance of Shimla (formerly Simla) is unparalleled. The city was called “Little England" The Mall remained the epicentre of elite leisure, long strolls, recreation and socialising in the evenings. Even today, the Mall holds its magnetic appeal though subtly changed by the passage of time.

Many British writers, officials and travellers left behind vivid accounts of the town and its atmosphere. British historian Philip Mason wrote in his memoir, “Shimla possessed a charm unlike any other station in India."

For these reasons, many British couples, some in their third and fourth generations, continue to visit Shimla to reconnect with their ancestral roots. They nostalgically visit old cemeteries, old hill cottages, ancient churches and retrace the leisurely walks once taken by their forebears, often engaging in lively discussions about the rhythms of life of the past.

Minakshi Chaudhary, author of Ghost Stories of Shimla, beautifully captures the town's allure: "Shimla enchants with its fascinating charm, captivates with its rich history, and warms the heart with its stories. Every walk is a cherished ritual. Love and romance linger in the mountain air."

Shimla wears its age like an old overcoat, shouldering both the weight of its glory and the scars of unplanned growth. It retains an old-world soul, aptly blending heritage with modern aesthetics. But the transformation of Shimla from a small hill station to a major urban agglomeration has come at a high social and ecological cost.

Conceived for a population 30,000, Shimla’s demographic projections are estimated between 1.85 lakh and 2.5 lakh people. The floating population comprising tourists, students, government staff, corporate travellers and daily commuters can push the effective population much higher during peak summers.

Shimla has the look of a concrete jungle. Over the years, the town got entangled in a web of its own flaws and creation. A tangle of telephone and electricity cables scars the skyline. Over-exposed water pipelines snake along roadsides. Every leak means another freshly repaired road being dug up mindlessly. The sewage pipes intermingle with the drinking water supply lines, and some burst right in the middle of the walking lanes.

While the administration cites a shortage of funds, residents attribute the crisis to misplaced priorities, the absence of a long-term vision for Shimla, and a persistent VIP-centric approach to governance. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu admits, "I have seen Shimla evolve, expand and change for the worse... It is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders, including the courts, to protect Shimla’s character as a hill town."

It is in this spirit that a Rs. 246 crore multipurpose utility duct project started six months back to relieve Shimla of a maze of hanging wires and recurring excavation of surface lanes, particularly the Mall. This is being welcomed as a long-awaited administrative intervention. The idea is to create a sustainable urban infrastructure in the hill town, which is visually and aesthetically appealing, the CM explained.

The belated intervention to free Shimla of overhead-hanging electricity lines, criss-crossing communication cables and water supply lines that are being shifted to a common underground multi-utility corridor has already started changing the Mall's appearance between Chhotta Shimla and the old Combermere bridge, a walking stretch of 2.5 km, particularly on the Mall.

On this newly illuminated stretch, where the crisscross overhead wiring clutter has been moved underground, outlines of a new identity have begun to emerge. Warm white lights illuminate the route. The road surface is strong and aesthetically designed. The skyline is cleaner.

The transformation of Shimla is not merely about roads, vanishing overhead cables and multi-crore ducts. It is about reclaiming public spaces—a long-drawn critical challenge of this urban hill station—whether it is about its constructions beyond carrying capacity, burgeoning traffic chaos, parking problems, garbage left behind by tourists, or scars inflicted on the vulnerable hills.