Depriving "Smart City" Tag to Shimla: Who is to be Blamed

The exclusion of Shimla from the final list of "Smart City" is disturbing. It deserved to be a "Smart City" along with Dharamasala for obvious reasons.  Both historical cities have their glorious past. Shimla is not only the capital of Himachal Pradesh s but still basks in British era glory.  In 1864, Shimla was officially designated the summer capital of British India, succeeding Murree, northeast of Rawalpindi. Much before this, some officers had started spending their entire vacation in Shimla as early as 1826. Lord Amherst, the Governor-General of Bengal, visited Shimla and stayed in the Kennedy House in 1827. In 1830, the British acquired the surrounding land from the chiefs of Keonthal and Patiala in exchange for the Rawin pargana and a portion of the Bharauli pargana. The settlement grew rapidly after this, from 30 houses in 1830 to 1,141 houses in 1881. Shimla has many firsts to its credit. In 1832, Shimla saw its first political meeting: between the Governor-General William Bentinck and the emissaries of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Maharaja was so impressed with the scenic beauty of Shimla that in a letter to Colonel Churchill, he wrote: "Shimla is only four days march from Loodianah (Ludhiana), is easy of access, and proves a very agreeable refuge from the burning plains of Hindoostaun (Hindustan).In 1863, the Viceroy of India John Lawrence decided to shift the summer capital of the British Raj to Shimla. He took the trouble of moving the administration twice a year between Calcutta and Shimla over 1,000 miles away, despite the fact that it was difficult to reach. The first hill Kalka-Shimla railway line was constructed in 1906. It added to accessibility and popularity of Shimla. The railway route from Kalka to Shimla has more than 806 bridges and 103 tunnels. It was touted as an engineering feat and came to be known as the "British Jewel of the Orient".it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.Shimla remained the capital of the undivided state of Punjab in 1871, and remained so until the construction of the new city of Chandigarh.   There are many historical buildings in Shimla which have no parallel and reminisces its historical importance. Shimla hosts the mountain biking race MTB Himalaya, which started in 2005 and is regarded as the biggest event of its kind in South Asia. Dharamsala  nowadays is known more for being the headquarters of exiled Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama and Tibetan Central Administration. Dharamshala and its surrounding area was ruled by the Katoch Dynasty of Kangra until the British Raj,  The Katoch Dynasty is said to be the oldest serving Royal Family in the world. The Royal Family still keeps a residence in Dharamshala, known as 'Clouds End Villa'.In 1848, the area now known as Dharamshala was annexed by the British.By 1860, the 66th Gurkha Light Infantry was moved from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh to Dharamshala, which was at first made a subsidiary cantonment. The Battalion was later renamed the historic 1st Gurkha Rifles, this was the beginning of the legend of the Gurkhas, also known as the 'Bravest of the Brave'. Consequently, fourteen Gurkha platoon villages grew from this settlement, and exist to this day, namely Dari, Ramnagar, Shyamnagar, Dal, Totarani, Khanyara, Sadher, Chaandmaari, Sallagarhi, Sidhbari, Yol, and so on. The Gurkhas referred to D'shala as 'Bhagsu' and referred to themselves as Bhagsuwalas.The 21st Gurkha Regiment from Dharamshala performed heroic feats during World War I and the North West Frontier Province campaigns. The Gurkha cantonment then reached its zenith during World War II, when battalions from Dharamshala made history. Many place names in the town still retain their former cantonment terminologies: Depot Bazaar, Pensioners' Lines, Tirah Lines  Be that as it may, the point is that Shimla always had strategic as well as location preference for Britishers. But our 'desi' rulers are not Britishers. They don't decide on merits but on political gains. Shimla is the only capital city that hasn't found favour with Modi govt to be a smart city. And Marxists ruled Shimla MC believes data have been fudged by state govt, especially by Urban Development Minister, Sudhir Sharma who represents Dharamsala in assembly. Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan is so furious that he has decided to take the matter to court. He has come out with some facts to prove his point. Fortunately for Shimlaties, the tag of  "Smart City" may not dent its image as "Queen of Hills" but will deprive the capital much of central grant it badly needed.