Grant Shimla heritage status, Centre urged

SHIMLA: After Shimla, the erstwhile summer capital of the British, failed to make it to the list of 12 heritage cities which will be witness preservation and conservation of the rich heritage, the Himachal government has urged the Centre to reconsider the claim of the city which has a very rich and glorious past.

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 27

After Shimla, the erstwhile summer capital of the British, failed to make it to the list of 12 heritage cities which will be witness preservation and conservation of the rich heritage, the Himachal government has urged the Centre to reconsider the claim of the city which has a very rich and glorious past.

The Himachal government was hopeful that the state capital would be included in the list of cities which would benefit immensely from the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna (HRIDAY), launched by the Union Urban Development Ministry.

Vice-chairman of the State Tourism Development Board Vijai Singh Mankotia has urged Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu to consider the town’s claim for being included in the scheme. An outlay of Rs 500 crore has been made and the 12 select cities were Ajmer, Amaravati, Amritsar, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Varanasi, Mathura, Puri, Velankanni and Warrangal.

Mankotia pointed out that Shimla has figured prominently in the pre and post independent India. It became the summer capital of the British in 1864 even though they arrived here way back in 1815. “Researchers have established the veracity of the belief that the Pandavas spent a large part of their 12 year ‘Agyaatvaas’ in and around Shimla,” he wrote in the letter.

The state government has pointed out that being a small hill state, Himachal faces limitations in terms of resources and finances. The case seeking Shimla’s inclusion in the heritage city scheme compiled and sent to the Centre lists the various historical buildings which dot the town and are part of its rich legacy.

“The population of the town has increased manifold. Besides, there is a huge influx of tourists and students, resulting in the town virtually bursting at the seams. Shimla’s inclusion in the scheme would have enabled the city to upgrade its water supply system, sanitation, drainage, street lights, roads and other civic amenities,” Mankotia said.

He further pointed out that the year preceding the independence, Shimla was witness to the most momentous and significant conferences and meetings between the British Viceroy and the prominent freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. “The list of historical events related to the town is endless which includes the presence of the Constituent Assembly here where the Constitution was drawn up and the signing of the Shimla Accord between Indira Gandhi and Pakistan Premiere Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” he pointed out.