Queen of the hills or hills of concrete?
By Manpreet Singh

Deodars in danger

THE ongoing rapid urbanisation is Shimla’s irretrievable reality. There is tremendous pressure on land and its resources. The burgeoning population, at present estimated to be over two lakh, is double the figure quoted in the 1991 Census -- 88,300. Concrete structures and slum-like areas have cropped up in and around the town. The authorities concerned now find themselves groping for solutions to check Shimla’s haphazard and unplanned growth.

A peeved town planner, evidently angry at the authorities’ neglect of such a beautiful, historic town, says: "Had the planning been done in the 1960s or 1970s, it might have saved Shimla. The only way it can be saved now is by decongesting it. This can be done by immediately shifting government offices from here. But there is lack of political will. And no town planning concept exists here. Shimla, once conceived as a hill town by the British for the population of about 30,000, has lost its identity as a hill resort."

As the state’s administrative centre, Shimla works as a magnet for urbanisation. The rich social, cultural, medical and educational facilities available here attract people from all over the state, besides an increasing number of outsiders, for whom it has become a status symbol to have a summer house in Shimla.

Shimla was discovered by British officers engaged in the war with the Gurkhas in 1814 and the first permanent residence was built here in 1822. By 1841, there were over 100 houses in Shimla, and in 1864 it became the Summer Capital of the Raj. In 1947, the then East Punjab Government shifted here from Jalandhar. It moved to Chandigarh in 1956. In 1966, Simla district was merged into Himachal Pradesh and the town became its capital when it was granted full statehood in 1972. Since then the town has witnessed rapid growth, especially during the last 10-15 years.

Rapid urbanisation has led to widening of the roads, building of new parking places, besides expanding the existing ones. But traffic jams and shortage of parking spaces remains a pressing problem.According to an official, about 1,200 to 1,300 vehicles enter Shimla every day. Further, the number of vehicles owned by the residents has increased manifold during the last few years; about 400 new vehicles are registered every month. With the increasing number of vehicles one can feel the increasing pollution level in certain areas, mainly near the Bus Stand and the Old Cart Road. The roads have got congested as the roads in the hills cannot be widened beyond a certain limit.

The Municipal Corporation attributes the parking problems to the large floating population. More than 50,000 people come to the town every day, adding to the existing population of two lakh. New multi-storey parking places are coming up, the latest being on the Cart Road which will accommodate 200 light vehicles. Further, there are plans to involve private constructors.

The baffled authorities are at a loss to find ways to provide even the basic amenities to the ever-growing population. The problem of drinking water is acute. According to official sources, the water supply falls short of 20 to 25 lakh gallons per day. The situation is worse in the summers. At present, the municipal authorities claim that 50 to 55 lakh gallons of water is supplied per day. The Municipal Commissioner, Manoj Kumar, reluctant to talk about the various problems being faced by the Shimla residents, says that there is no water problem "out of the ordinary" in the town. "It’s only in certain pockets that water supply is disturbed due to certain repair works. We have an ambitious plan to use old water supply pipelines of the British time. Shimla will then have proper water supply."

But other officials in the corporation says that as much as 30 per cent of the water goes waste through leakages. The old pipes cannot be repaired as, for instance, in the Sanjauli areas. People have built houses over these pipelines. In some areas water is supplied through water tanks.

There is an obvious lack of coordination between the Irrigation and Public Health Department which provides water, and the Municipal Corporation which supplies it further to the consumers. In the absence of any concrete planning to manage the worsening water problem, experts feel that if no steps are taken immediately the situation might turn chaotic and nightmarish for the residents in the next few years.

The drainage system too is in a shambles. As you pass by a house in any busy street in Shimla, you can see the dirty water flowing down from the upper floors of the houses on to the roads, creating slush and unhygenic conditions. There is no proper garbage disposal system, too. The Municipal Commissioner, commenting on the state of garbage disposal system, says, "About 40 to 50 tons of garbage is collected per day and we have no modern garbage treatment system. But recently, a Rs 7-crore Solid Waste Management Project with the assistance of Norwegian agency NORAD has been launched. Also the number of waste disposal vehicles has been increased." The authorities also have plans to spend Rs 1 crore on improving the existing drainage system which is incapable of meeting the requirements of the population.

Despite the depleting basic amenities, Shimla’s growth goes on unabated. Housing remains the main problem as the authorities find it hard to acquire space for more constructions. New Shimla, a planned area which was developed by Shimla Development Authority in 1986, has already become congested. Most old residents of the town complain that the New Shimla planning does not harmonise well with hill architecture. The area is flooded with concrete buildings. The green patches earmarked by the authorities have also been eaten up to accommodate more constructions.

"We don’t have land bank. It is very difficult to acquire land. Shimla is getting congested and we are going outside Shimla for constructing residential and commercial buildings. Although we are developing the place well, it fails to meet the growing population requirements," says A.C. Mahajan, Chief Engineer-cum-Chief Administrator of the Himachal Pradesh Nagar Vikas Pradhikaran, the agency established in 1994 to manage rapid urbanisation in the state.

Shimla’s first lady Mayor, Jenny Prem, too sees the increasing population as the root cause of the town’s problems. "Population is the main problem — old landlords have sold their properties which are being converted into multistorey buildings. There is an increased inflow of outsiders buying residential houses. There have been cases of land encroachment in certain areas. The rise in literacy and prosperity levels have been the major factors contributing to Shimla’s changing face."

A few property consultants and dealers have also surfaced to cash in on the land deals. Ajay Goel, a young property dealer, says the concept of summer houses has come up in a big way during the last six or seven years. "Most of my clients are from Delhi and Chandigarh. It’s a kind of status symbol to have a house in Shimla. Since Shimla is already congested, new constructions are spreading to New Shimla and touching Shoghi, Mashobra, Naldehra and beyond."

Also, within Shimla, many areas have emerged as mini towns in themselves. Shimla is built on seven spurs — Kasumpti, Sanjauli, Bhrari, Summer Hill, Tuti Kandi, Tutu and Central Core Shimla. For instance, Sanjauli, which had only a handful of shops in the 70s, has witnessed a tremendous growth. Like Tutu and Bhrari, it is a mini town in itself.

Owing to the maddening pace of constructions in the last few years in particular, forest officials admit that there has been a considerable depletion of forest cover around Shimla. Rajesh Sharma, Divisional Forest Officer, says, "With urbanisation, there is shrinkage of forests. But then priorities have to be fixed. If forests are to be preserved, all constructions have to be stopped. But today’s priority seems to be urbanisation."

Shimla has so far managed to popularly remain an "English Town", surviving on the lingering echoes of the colonial era. The inflow of both domestic and foreign tourists has grown constantly, more dramatically after militancy hit tourism in Kashmir. The number of weekend tourists has also increased because of its easy accessibility. The number of tourists has grown from about five lakh in 1990 to nine lakh in 1998.

Balram Sharma, Director, Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, is jubilant over the tourist attractions that will be coming up in Shimla. He says, "Better quality hotels are coming up. A weekly helicopter service, ‘View of the Inner Himalayas’, has been started from Shimla and the response is encouraging. There are plans to expand the existing airport. The number of tourists is bound to rise; that’s why investors are keen to invest in the tourism sector here."

Shimla, without doubt, is the oldest and the most developed town of Himahcal Pradesh. Shakti Bhushan, a young entrepreneur, moves on the Mall, talking busily on his sleek mobile phone, "Shimla is the ‘fashion-o-politan’ of Himachal. The youth here keeps pace with the latest trends in Delhi or Bombay. It has the best colleges and schools in northern India, a legacy of the British rule. You find all the prominent multinational companies having their outlets on the Mall. Not only today, Shimla was one of the most modern towns even a 100 years ago," he asserts.

74-year-old D.N. Joshi, born and brought up in Shimla, recalls nostalgically the days during the British rule, "Living then was cheap. Those wearing Gandhi topi and dirty clothes were pushed down the stairs to the Lower Bazaar. Evenings used to be full of activity. Rickshaws pulled by men plied on the Mall."

Even today, the Mall represents the charming ambience of a hill town, aesthetically and lovingly developed by the British. There is a festive air in the evenings on this stretch, as the young and the old, clad in their finest clothes stroll leisurely from one end to the other. The absence of sound and sight of machines (no vehicles are allowed to ply on this road) lend it serenity. The place still has the touch of the Raj days, with majestic British period buildings around the Mall and the Ridge.

The authorities are generally quite strict about preserving the architecture of the area around the Mall. "We treat the heart of the town as the heritage zone. Construction activity is allowed only outside the town. Even when permission is given to demolish old, decaying buildings, we see to it that the new facade conforms architecturally and aesthetically to the surroundings," explains the Municipal Commissioner.

However, an old resident, leaning on his walking stick on the Mall, talks about the deteriorating condition of this once beautiful town, "The haphazard growth has bred concrete ugliness. The new structures do not go well with the hill architecture. Shimla now has only painted, cosmetic beauty; that can be appreciated only from afar. Cleanliness, sewer system, water supply and the basic amenities are collapsing. I feel sorry for Shimla."

Deodars in danger

Recent changes in the character of soil are proving fatal to the majestic deodar tree, pride of the hills. Shimla has a large number of old deodars, flowering rhododendrons and ancient oaks. According to the Divisional Forest Officer, Shimla, Rajesh Sharma, the deodar has refused to take root in the Shimla hills. "We are not getting majestic deodars in Shimla. The soil condition has undergone a transformation due to a change in the climate and as we have no garbage disposal system, pollutants are leeching into the soil. In Jakhu hills, I planted deodar seven times, but failed. This is an alarming trend."

About preserving the trees within Shimla town, the forest officer says that there is the Tree Committee which permits the felling of a tree for building houses.

According to forest officials, some people play mischief to get the permission for felling a tree. Some people make the tree go dry by using some chemicals because getting permission to cut a dried-up tree becomes easier. There are about 30 cases pending in the judicial courts for such violations.

Despite the efforts of the authorities to preserve trees, stray felling continues.