Heritage Conservation and Environment at Shimla

The project aims to conserve architectural buildings and open spaces at Mall Road, Shimla. The project is implemented in close cooperation with Royal Norwegian Embassy (NORAD).

Background and Objectives

Shimla has been the centre for attraction for the tourists all over the world due to its unique heritage, salubrious climate, and enchanting landscape. But this beautiful gift of nature is now poised for speedy physical development. The environmental and cultural heritage of the area is being lost due to unplanned activities, tourist pressure on resources, haphazard development, lack of bylaws, and lack of awareness in local people. This has resulted into deforestation, unpleasant environs, reduction in open spaces, and constant loss of heritage. IES has recognized that concrete action programme and community participation is the need of the hour to protect the heritage and environs in the mountainous state. Therefore to ensure continued development, IES has implemented a project on Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation in Himachal Pradesh. The Society felt that there is an urgent need to involve the community in Eco-restoration activities to protect the Environment of Shimla from being deteriorated. Through this project the Society has sensitised the local community on the issues of Heritage Conservation and has also strengthened the network between the public and private organization to restore the beautiful and unique heritage of Shimla.

The main objective of the project is to conserve and enhance both natural and inbuilt environment and to restore harmonious relationship between man and nature.

The other objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To study historic buildings with architectural and townscape value of the area and to find out causes of deterioration and taking active steps to restore its glory.
• To enhance people’s participation and to improve environmental awareness among school children through documentation, eco-activities etc.
• To propose the restoration and adaptive reuse of certain selected heritage buildings, monuments, and precincts, as pilot projects to stimulate broader conservation action.
• To propose sensitive guidance for the design of new buildings as well as additions, alterations, renovation of existing structures in the Heritage zone based on analysis of the existing heritage buildings/precincts.
• To foster public and private partnership to conserve heritage and local ecology.

Achievements

For dissemination of information to increase conservation awareness among the citizens and tourist, IES has developed a Guidebook on Heritage Buildings of Shimla. The guidebook includes graphics, photographs, and sketches of the old buildings.

The Society has carried out numerous Environmental Awareness Programmes to support heritage conservation activities on the Mall Road at Shimla. The Society has made every possible effort by initiating environmentally conscious attitude in order to promote and propagate environmental awareness among masses. In the last one year, IES has organized several environmental programmes like workshops, competitions, and plantation drive and cultural programmes like concerts etc. The Society has successfully increased the level of awareness among students and masses on the issues of heritage conservation. Community has been involved in mass plantation to restore the beauty of Shimla. The feeling of belongingness has been induced in the hearts of the masses to preserve the heritage of Shimla.

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