Shimla: Tourists going to Shimla, the erstwhile summer capital of the British Raj, for savoring history will find the Raj-style structure laced with repugnant modernity with local authorities adding the ingredient of eateries to the newly restored Town Hall building on the most famous promenade Mall Road, a hub of commercial activity.
The Town Hall was refurbished to its past glory with the Asian Development Bank funding of Rs 8 crore.
The Municipal Corporation Shimla, one of the oldest civic bodies in the country, has virtually relegated the piece of history to a food court and this decision has angered old-timers.
The majestic Town Hall was built in 1908 in a typical hill architecture style with smoke-emitting chimneys.
It was initially designed as a library by British India. After India’s partition, some of the offices of the municipal corporation were housed in it till its handing over to the government for restoration in September 2014.
Civic body authorities say the permission to allow fast-food chain outlets to operate is necessitated by economic reasons. But those who have patronized it for decades say it will soon lose its character.
“When there is already so much commercial activity on the Mall Road, what is the need for such activity in the Town Hall, a storehouse of the grand British legacy,” octogenarian Durga Ram Sud, who is born and brought up in Shimla. While pointing towards a hoarding up by the food outlets outside the building announcing their opening soon.
Another old-timer Naresh Gupta remarked: “This marvelous building represents the graceful style of colonial architecture and attracts the tourists here, especially the Britons who visit to trace their roots.”
He said the government should open a library and a museum to showcase artifacts of British India, besides the state’s rich cultural, artistic, and archaeological heritage.
Aghast over the insensitivity towards the British heritage, B.D. Sharma, a former Press Secretary to the Chief Minister, said that the late Virbhadra Singh was the only Chief Minister who took an interest in restoring and preserving Shimla’s glory.
“Virbhadra Singh took a special interest in restoring the Town Hall’s legacy. He even arranged funds from the Union government for its restoration. His predecessors took no interest in the town’s grand heritage. And that is the only reason that the Town Hall is now going into the private hands for petty commercial gains,” added an upset Sharma, a vocal voice against rampant construction and amendments to bylaws from time to time to create a concrete jungle in once scenic Shimla.
Protesting the decision to open a restaurant in a portion of the Town Hall towards the Ridge, former Shimla mayor and CPI(M) leader Sanjay Chauhan wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu to cancel its lease, which was granted by the previous BJP government in violation of norms.
He said the previous government exerted pressure on the civic body after which a resolution was passed in it to lease out the property in private hands for commercial activities.
Going back to the past, in August 2018 a majority of locals in a public hearing, organized at the behest of the Himachal Pradesh High Court to get views on putting Town Hall to judicious use, demanded the setting up of a public place so that the tourists could get a glimpse of state’s rich cultural heritage.
The Tourism Department, which executed the restoration work under the Shimla beautification plan, had refused to hand over the building back to the Shimla Municipal Corporation.
Then Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur dedicated the restored building to the public on November 29, 2018. In one of its hearings on the proper utilization of the building, the high court was categorically clear in saying Town Hall was not meant for the Municipal Corporation.
For utilizing the building as a public convenience, the court asked the government to prepare a comprehensive conceptual plan regarding its utilization.
In December 2017, the high court observed that the iconic structure could be used either as a museum or a library rather than leaving it at the mercy of the “babus” by allowing a public office to run from there.
“Undoubtedly, it is a significant landmark of the town. Intrinsically, it is part of its heritage. It’s in this backdrop, we are of the considered view that a decision must be taken about proper use of the building after its restoration,” the high court had remarked.
The Town Hall building is in the half-timbered Tudor style — all-wooden frames and shingled eaves. Its exteriors and interiors were refurbished by polishing and repairing the stonework.
The windows and rooftops were replaced and the Gothic facade was improved, say officials involved in its restoration. Himachal Pradesh’s economy is highly dependent on tourism, besides hydropower generation and horticulture.
Courtesy: “IANS”
A seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience, Vishal writes on a wide range of subjects which include biodiversity, climate change and links between environment & development. He also covers politics and other developments in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. He lives in Chandigarh & Shimla.
So what is the point. Ranting about the known history. Let be the food cort who cares. When last government of BJP has given it then why you people are tabling about
State has turned from welfare to commercial aspects.
Population has also increased manifold.
Since we are talking about cultural heritage although this is now purely commercial site,would attract tourists. Baljees has already stopped, what other point on the mall could become so popular, after long walk on the mall every body wants soothing place,this would be.
And one more thing state could not run on cultural activities only this must be substantiated with other activities like tourism,horticulture and hydroelectric power etc.
The need of the hours is to bring revenue to the state but keeping up our values and heritage.