Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan is striving hard to steer the capital city’s urban governance after more than a decade of Congress absence in the Corporation. His focus areas include sustainable environment, strengthening the financial health of Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC), decongesting city traffic and parking facilities, encouraging citizen participation in environmental initiatives such as cleanliness and tree plantation drives.
As a close confidant of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, public expectations from him are exceptionally high. Residents look to him not just as a local representative but also as a leader capable of aligning Shimla’s needs with state-level priorities. Balancing heritage preservation with modern infrastructure, he talks to Bhawani Negi of The Statesman on making Shimla more sustainable, liveable, and resilient in the face of rapid urbanization and climate challenges.
Q. You are an advocate for a sustainable environment – what concrete steps are you taking to make Shimla cleaner and greener?
A. Apart from solid waste management, the Shimla Municipal Corporation is participating in creating green spaces and conservation efforts. We need to rejuvenate forests to make them robust. We are planting saplings; like last year, this year too we have planted over 5,000 and are taking care of them. This requires funds, but what we are getting in return is nothing. Besides municipal concerns, this is also a state-level issue, as forests are covered by central acts. Himachal Pradesh spends heavily on maintaining its forest wealth without significant grants from the Centre. I will formally raise this issue with the Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition, urging them to rise above party lines and jointly demand that the Centre provide grants and carbon fees. Similar to water and electricity, securing such support is our right. The Centre must extend grants, especially in view of the Supreme Court raising concerns about the state’s environmental issues. Disasters in recent years must be taken seriously, and adequate financial support is essential to safeguard both forests and people. We have e-vehicles for garbage collection and are considering initiatives such as running e-karts on restricted roads and cycling tracks. A bio-methane plant, costing Rs 12 crore, is being established for waste management at the existing waste-to-energy plant in Bharyal on the periphery of Shimla.
Q. Shimla faced its worst-ever disaster last year. What lessons did you learn to mitigate it?
A. Other than afforestation efforts, this time I personally focused on proper cleanliness of clogged nallahs and culverts, collaborating with other state and central departments since June. It is always the SMC that faces criticism during disasters over non-maintenance of drains for proper rainwater discharge, even though some drains are maintained by other departments. Illegal dumping is a major concern as it chokes drains and often triggers landslides. Addressing this was also a priority. We are seeking forest clearance for dedicated dumping sites at three locations. Once approved, a mechanism will be devised to provide a service for collecting construction and demolition waste on a single call, which will be chargeable. Zero tolerance will be adopted as illegal dumping poses serious environmental risks. Q. In the Swachh Survekshan survey, Shimla city has sharply slipped from 188 in 2024-25 to 347 in 2023-24. A. I have my reservations about the evaluation. There is a need for a different set of criteria for analyzing mountain cities as they face altogether different challenges. The cost of developing infrastructure here is almost four times higher than in cities on flat terrain. Shimla, being a mountain city, cannot be compared directly with cities in the plains. We need a different set of criteria to reflect these unique challenges. Furthermore, Theog is ranked as the cleanest town in Himachal Pradesh, and we are assisting Theog and other adjoining towns in dry waste disposal. I will raise my concerns with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Such rankings not only dampen the morale of our workers but also affect Shimla’s image as a major tourist destination.
Q. Over the years, we have seen the Shimla civic body facing significant financial strain. Are you taking steps to improve the situation?
A. Strengthening the financial health of the municipal corporation is a top priority, and our focus is on resource mobilization to make the body self-sustainable. We are in the process of creating a land bank to identify, secure, and utilize Corporation-owned properties and assets in a purposeful manner to generate steady revenue. At the same time, as a trusted urban body, we continue to grant permissions for housing projects while ensuring proper regulation. We are also exploring new avenues to participate in housing schemes under an Apartment Act and looking at initiatives such as establishing petrol pumps and other revenue generating facilities. These steps will help us reduce financial strain and build long-term fiscal resilience for the civic body.
Q. Any significant achievement so far?
A. One of our key achievements is the digitalization initiative that allows access to birth and death certificates online from anywhere in the world. The project is almost complete to digitize records dating back to 1870. This is particularly significant for Shimla, which had once been the erstwhile summer capital of British India, as many British nationals continue to visit the city to trace the history of their ancestors who served here during the pre-independence era.
Q. Traffic congestion is one of Shimla’s biggest challenges. What steps are being taken to address it?
A. Traffic management in a hill city like Shimla is a complex challenge, but we are taking multiple steps to address it. In addition to developing new parking spaces, we are working to decongest the main circular road, which is a critical lifeline as it connects schools, colleges, and hospitals. We are also exploring alternative solutions such as constructing link roads through wards to ease the load on the circular road. Beyond projects like tunnels and ropeways, we are also considering developing link roads through various wards to ease the burden on the circular road and improve overall traffic flow.
Q. Shimla is a popular tourist destination. What measures have you taken to promote tourism?
A. After COVID, the city faced a decline in tourist footfall, and even local engagement with the city center had dwindled. To revive tourism and encourage local participation, we introduced the Winter Carnival in 2024, which turned out to be a success. The event also helps showcase the region’s rich culture, through music, dance and handicraft exhibitions enriching the visitor experience while supporting local livelihoods. To further empower local women’s self-help groups and promote local products, we provide venues free of cost twice a month, allowing them to set up stalls and sell their products directly to tourists. These initiatives strengthen the connection between visitors and the local community while boosting Shimla’s cultural and economic vibrancy.
Q. The previous B J P – led corporation was criticized for turning Shimla into a ‘Steel City’ rather than a ‘Smart City.’ In your view, has Shimla truly become smart under the Smart City project?
A. Much of the steel-focused infrastructure was unnecessary. The only justified project was the walkway between Sanjauli and IGMC road, which improves hospital connectivity during winters. Overall, it represented a misallocation of public resources and did not align with Shimla’s environment. Under the Smart City project, Shimla was supposed to receive Rs 3,000 crore, but only Rs 570 crore was provided. Even these funds were not spent according to development priorities, with a spending going into projects and unnecessary infrastructure, instead of addressing the city’s unique challenges like transportation, traffic management and tourism that require more focused efforts to achieve desired outcomes