Saving Shimla

The scrapping of the Shimla Draft Development Plan, 2041, by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) brings a sigh of relief. The development guide for Himachal Pradesh’s capital city for the next two decades was roundly criticised at its unveiling in April this year. The populist move by the BJP government was seen as flawed and lacking in vision. A recipe for disaster as it aimed to encourage unregulated and unplanned construction in an earthquake-prone zone. The NGT’s swift decision to stay the implementation of the plan in May and now shelving it is a validation of the voices of protest. It has been termed illegal for seeking to override the ban on construction in the city’s core and green areas.

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Shimla is prone to hazards as it is built on steep slopes, with limited valley area. Immediate decongestion is the answer, according to experts, and certainly not allowing structures in the vulnerable areas. Decongesting the overpopulated slopes has to be the first goal for a city gasping for survival and standing on the brink of a disaster. A similar conclusion was reflected in the 2017 report by an NGT-appointed committee on the impact of existing structures on environment and ecology, sewage system and water supply of Shimla. In terms of disaster risk management, the city had far exceeded its carrying capacity, the panel noted. Most of the buildings were built on slopes exceeding 70 degrees, requiring a massive cutting of the contour that rendered the land susceptible to landslides.

Redrafting the plan for Shimla’s future requires a fresh perspective. The recommendations of satellite townships and a scientific understanding of the maximum load-bearing capacity of slopes need serious consideration. The 2041 plan also offered little by way of addressing the mobility issues, a major drawback of the state’s tourist hotspot. Saving Shimla must be central to the planning.