Shimla - Lost in Transition

Traditionally, Shimla is supposed to be one of the most visited hill stations in the country. It is well connected by road, rail and air. The British made it their summer capital in the early 1900s.

I remember going to Shimla first in 1997. I was in awe of the place. The scenic landscape, the picturesque surroundings and the whole environment took my breath away. I remember vividly walking in the mall area, admiring the NG trains and appreciating the colonial charm associated with the city.

The Shimla of today is a concrete jungle. You see buildings everywhere and the city is not what it used to be earlier. A recent notification, that states that the roofs of the buildings should be either green or red, has done little to improve the "commercial" look that the city has managed to take. The number of tourists visiting the Queen of Hills is gradually decreasing. I was surprised to see the number of hotels, resorts coming up in places like Solan etc which are en route to Shimla. Many people no longer like to come to Shimla and instead stay at places like Solan, Tara Devi etc..

The Mall has become a farce. It looks like a Mumbai local train at peak hour and you constantly step on people's feet to move forward. There is litter everywhere. Mobile magistrates are not efficient enough. This New Year turned the Mall into a free for all. People were up to all kinds of nonsense in this public place.

Parking is an eternal problem in Shimla. Multi level parking's are being constructed but they never seem to be enough. There is a traffic jam almost always at the bus stand and the Bye Pass road to Kufri is bad in patches.

The locals are disgusted by the amount of commercialization seen in their city and some claim that their place of birth is slowly being strangled to death.