Paradise Lost
Rakesh Lohumi
Pedestrians, walk in Shimla at your own risk now!
With numerous serpentine roads passing through dense forests, Shimla was popular as a pedestrian’s paradise. Walking was a tradition here till 1980’s, when residents would walk up to the Mall that served as a socialising spot.

Cars parked under a no parking sign block traffic.

Himalayan Nature Park breeding programme in doldrums
Kufri’s second snow leopard dies
Rakesh Lohumi
The snow leopard conservation breeding programme at the Himalayan Nature Park has suffered a setback with the death of the second and last female cat, Sapna. Her brother, Subhash, is now the lone snow leopard in the park. Sapna had miraculously survived a bout of sever feline infectious enteritis two years ago.

IT goes tribal
Dharam Prakash Gupta
The National Institute of Technology (NITa) at Hamirpur has launched a unique drive to spread awareness on the importance of information technolology and technical education among the tribals of Himachal. As a part of this programme, the members of the Tribal Development Project have organised several workshops in Kinnaur, besides providing facilities for the benefit of tribal students pursuing technical education at the NIT.

— A Tribune photograph

Nod to waste treatment plant
Kulwinder Sandhu
Rs 35-cr facility near Nalagarh to treat & dispose waste from the entire state
The government has finally decided to set up a solid waste treatment, storage and disposal facility near Nalagarh to take care of hazardous waste from the entire state.

How green is my hill?
Rakesh Lohumi
Illegal felling of trees poses a threat to Shimla’s green cover
The failure of the Shimla Municipal Corporation to enforce building laws has taken a heavy toll of the green cover. While hundreds of trees are being illegally felled every year, a good number of trees are drying up mysteriously.

An encroachment outside a house in Jakhoo.

Wake up, before it’s too late
S. R. Pundir
Residents raise voice against the ecological havoc caused due to construction of mini hydel projects
It seems that the state has not learnt a lesson even after innumerable reports have poured in from all over the state on the heavy damage caused to the environment due to haphazard, unplanned and unscientific work on several mini hydel power project sites in the region.        — A Tribune photograph

vignettes
Of Sania & Shimla mirch
Shriniwas Joshi
I am in the midwestern region of USA these days, Cincinnati to be more precise. This town made acquaintance with the people of Shimla through Sania Mirza. She started taking part in tennis tournaments here and people came to know of this second biggest town after Cleveland in the state of Ohio. She recently won the women’s doubles at the Lindner Family Tennis Court here.

shimla Diary
Mission clean-up
Pratibha Chauhan
In order to ensure the strict implementation of its garbage collection scheme, the local municipal corporation is willing to cut off the water and electricity connections of those who do not comply with it. A Jaipur-based NGO has been entrusted the task of garbage collection from homes, shops, hotels and all commercial establishments.
— Photo by S. Chandan