High-powered lift to connect Cart Road with Mall

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 18

Long queues at both sides of the Lift installed to connect the Cart Road with and The Mall way back in 1974 might soon be a thing of the past as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in principle to fund the installation of a high-powered lift adjacent to the old one. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 6 crore.

The Tourism and Civil Aviation Department has sent the proposal for the setting up of the second lift after the ADB agreed in principle to fund it under the Mall Road Beautification Project. The nod from the Heritage Advisory Committee too has been received as the area is part of the designated Heritage Zone extending from Chotta Shimla to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.

The much needed second lift, the proposal in the pipeline for several years, will come as a big relief for not just locals but also for tourists who face a harrowing time waiting for hours for their turn to move up and down the lift. Since the movement of vehicles in most parts of the core area of Shimla, including the Mall, Jakhoo and Lakkar Bazaar, is prohibited, a majority depend on the lift.

The high-powered lift will have the capacity of about 25 persons and will help reduce the long waiting, especially during the peak tourist season and also on weekends. “We will not just install a new lift but will also beautify both the old and new lifts so that it gels with the old world charm, associated with hill stations.

The electronic signages that will be put up all along the old and new lift will fetch revenue for the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). As it is the lift has been a profitable venture for the HPTDC and fetches a descent amount of income annually.

As part of the Mall Beautification Project being funded by the ADB, about 15 police cabins having a vintage look will be installed at various locations in the town. So far these cabins akin to the ones one sees in London or heritage places have been installed near the lift, Shimla Club, Telegraph Office, Scandal Point and near Oak Over, the Chief Minister’s official residence.