Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has raised a fresh alarm over the growing number of vehicles being allowed on Shimla’s sealed roads, warning that the unchecked movement of traffic is eroding the British-era hill town’s long-standing pedestrian-friendly character.The court has questioned the rationale behind the renewal and issuance of hundreds of vehicle passes, particularly when several beneficiaries appear to live far from the restricted stretch. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi noted that, as per an affidavit filed by the special secretary (home), 318 existing permits had been renewed while 44 fresh permits were issued for the sealed stretch covering Chalet Day School, Shilli Chowk to Chotta Shimla or from Shimla Club to Chotta Shimla. The bench questioned whether such permits were reaching those who genuinely need access to the sealed roads. The high court had earlier stressed that Shimla’s pedestrian culture is part of its identity. Recalling the traditional charm of walking through the hill town with an “umbrella and jacket”, it warned that rising traffic could gradually strip Shimla of its distinctive character, much as increased vehicular movement has affected pedestrian spaces in other hill stations such as Mussoorie in Uttarakhand.The division bench made it clear on Wednesday that residents living in and around the restricted area should be given priority, especially those whose houses can only be reached through the sealed roads. Such residents, it said, should not be harassed or inconvenienced while accessing their homes. Seeking to restore greater control over vehicular movement, the high court has directed the state govt to conduct an exercise to further reduce the number of vehicles using the restricted stretch. The authorities have been given time to undertake the exercise, with the case scheduled to come up for hearing again on Nov 17.The latest intervention follows the high court’s earlier concerns over the steady expansion of vehicular access to Shimla’s sealed roads. In Nov last year, the court had cautioned authorities against indiscriminate renewal of vehicle passes, observing that the growing number of permits was making pedestrian movement difficult and threatening the character of the historic hill town. The scale of the issue was then highlighted in an affidavit filed on behalf of the additional chief secretary (home), which stated that nearly 760 sealed-road passes for private and govt vehicles had been issued between Nov 2024 and Nov 2025 under Section 4 of the Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Act, 2007.
