Shimla: From 100 houses in 1844 to a concrete jungle now
Pratibha Chauhan
Shimla, April 23
Having barely 100 houses way back in 1844, the erstwhile summer capital of the British is today crumbling under the pressure of burgeoning population of over 2.50 lakh and severely strained civic resources.
Even as old timers lament the concretisation of Simla, they assert that drastic steps will have to be taken save the town from further deterioration.
According to ‘Shimla: Past and Present’ by EJ Buck, the number of houses in Simla rose from 100 in 1844 to 1400 in 1904 and 1800 in 1925 giving rise to issues like water supply, sanitation, taxation, lighting system and road construction. A sum of Rs 15 lakh was spent on water supply and sewage system.
All rhetoric, no action
- Successive regimes have failed to decongest the town despite the rhetoric of restoring its lost glory
- The Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal and the High Court have come down heavily on the state governments from time to time for its apathy towards planned and regulated growth of the town
- With the SMC poll due on May 2, it will be the responsibility of the new MC to restore the town’s lost glory
There was a move in 1904 to shift the summer headquarters of the Punjab Government from Shimla to Dalhousie, which never came through. In 1878, the population of Shimla was 17,440 and by 1890 it had risen to 30,000, as per Buck’s account.
A Municipal Government was first introduced in Shimla in December 1851 under the provisions of Act XXVI of 1850, making it the oldest municipality in pre independence Punjab. The first Municipal Board was constituted by the Punjab Government in 1876, having 19 members. Numerous changes were made in its constitution since 1882, when election was substituted by nomination.
It was in 1882 that a committee recommended that it should have 12 members and a president and vice president having a three-year term. In 1884, the town was divided into two wards for the purposes of elections — the Station Ward and the Bazaar Ward.
In 1890, the number of members was reduced from 13 to 10, which included six elected and four nominated. In 1920, the Simla House Owners Association requested for open elections which were for the first time held in September 1923, when Lal Mohan Lal was elected from Station Ward and Lal Haris Chandra from Bazaar Ward.
After Independence, the elections of 1953 and 1960 were held on the basis of adult franchise. In 1962, in keeping with the town’s expanded population, the number of wards was increased to 19.
Elections scheduled for 1963 did not take place and in 1966, the Punjab Government superseded the committee. A court order reinstated the committee in 1967. But, fresh poll were not held and it was converted into a corporation, with nominated members. Subsequently, in 1986, elections were held.
