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Shimla’s ambitious women

They are the new queens of hills — professional, educated, and smart — with a mission to make the 155-year-old city safer, drug-free, cleaner and modern, yet environmentally-friendly.

Shimla’s ambitious women

Kusum Sadret and her supporters celebrate victory in the Shimla civic polls.



Kuldeep Chauhan in Shimla

They are the new queens of hills — professional, educated, and smart — with a mission to make the 155-year-old city safer, drug-free, cleaner and modern, yet environmentally-friendly. They face familiar civic challenges. In the 34-member Shimla Municipal Corporation, 20 women councillors empower the civic body -- India’s oldest municipality -- for the first time. Out of 126 candidates in the fray, 61 women candidates contested the civic elections on June 1, and 20 won, including on 17 reserved seats. Three more – Congress-backed Sushma Kuthiala (Ram Bazar), BJP -backed Satya Kaundal (Sanjauli Chowk) and Congress-backed Kusum Lata Thakur (New Shimla) -- trounced their rivals decisively.

It’s getting increasingly clear that the new councillors have come out from the shadows of their husbands, seeking to change Shimla the way they would like to. Here’s how some of them stand, eager to measure up to the civic challenges in their areas:

Kusum Sadret (Shimla Mayor)
Councillor: Annandale ward
Age: 37 yrs, housewife
Education: Postgraduate in sociology


We will work as a team to make Shimla a ‘smart and swachh’ city by involving residents and councillors of all the 34 wards. We need regular water supply in each house, sewerage connectivity, well-lit streets and ambulance roads. Parking is a huge problem. We must have a road map for the city. 


Vidushi Sharma (Chhota Shimla)
Age: 37 yrs
Profession: Lawyer
Education: Law graduate


Vidushi says she wants to see a community hall in her ward. “Most people do not know about various schemes and how they can stand to benefit from them. “I will take various welfare schemes to women, including poor and widows, and educate them as to how they can avail of them. I will go step-by-step up,” she says.


Kusum Lata Thakur (New Shimla)
Age: 41 yrs, housewife
Education: Postgraduate, owns a private computer centre


She’d like to see Shimla as an extension of her home. “First we have to get down to the basics: regular water in each household, sewerage and power cables for smart streets, ambulance roads and paths and parks. The city’s shabby looks can be beautified by planting shrubs, trees and flowers. 


Aarti Chauhan (Engine Ghar)
Age: 38 yrs,  Profession: Builder
Education: Phd (Physical Education)


Her first priority is making available clean drinking water. “Also, we need to launch a campaign against drugs and sexual assaults on women. We need female counsellors at local dispensaries and a woman police station at Sanjauli.


Meera Sharma (Sangti)
Age: 43 yrs, housewife
Education: Postgraduate in social welfare
Profession: social work


Women’s safety is her prime concern. “We find it difficult to walk safely on congested roads. Women, despite constituting one-half of the population, have no community reading room and park except on at The Mall. All this needs people’s active participation.” 


Dr Kimi Sud (Benmore ward)
Profession: Ayurvedic doctor and administrator Shimla Nursing College
Age: 37 yrs, housewife
Education: BAMS & MBA


Known for her dislike for concrete multi-storied parking complex, Dr Kimi bats for small parking spaces and upgrading the sewerage lines. “I want to work on the happiness model of Bhutan, replicating its eco-tourism initiatives in our town.”


Kamlesh Mehta (Upper Dhalli)
Age : 38 yrs, housewife
Education: postgraduate

We need a garbage collection facility for each household. We also want an escalator and an ambulance road up to Upper Dhalli because it is difficult to carry the dead or a patient from a house to the main road.


Shailley Sharma (Summer Hill)
Age: 38 yrs, housewife
Education: MSc Physics, BEd


Summar Hill is a students’ hub. We’ll motivate them to preserve the heritage and participate in campaigns to make the area cleaner and greener. We hope once Kol Dam water scheme starts, the city will face no water problem.


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