Heritage Sold, Respect Lost: Town Hall Turned Into Billboard

Shimla, Dec 2 Ritanjali Hastir

The 122-year-old Town Hall, once the pride of Shimla’s architectural heritage, today stands as a disturbing reminder of how apathy and commercial greed can wound a city’s soul. What should have been a model of heritage-led development has instead turned into a spectacle of disrespect—by operators, tourists and authorities alike.

After regaining possession of the space, now the Lessee today brazenly nailed Costa Coffee and Pizza Hut signboards directly onto the wooden heritage façade, provoking outrage among locals who see the act as deliberate mockery.

As if challenging Shimlaites: What can you do? I got the place back once, and I have the freedom to get my bidding done—is how the residents now interpret the gesture.

Adding insult to injury, visitors continue to sit with their shoes placed on the wooden window platforms, treating the protected façade like a casual seating spot—a quiet but heartbreaking image of how far respect for heritage has eroded.

Yet despite this confidence, the operator hasn’t fulfilled even the most basic obligations.
According to details highlighted by Ward Councillor Umang Banga, the contractor has not paid rent for more than half the year, converting a prestigious municipal venture into bad debt for the Municipal Corporation the very body that hoped to showcase Town Hall as a profitable heritage model.

However, the disappointment doesn’t stop here as the failures run deeper. Despite charging premium prices, the venue does not provide even basic amenities like washrooms, forcing visitors to walk away or seek alternatives—a glaring violation of standard hospitality norms and a shocking reality for a space occupying one of Shimla’s most important civic heritage buildings. Surprising that event the Food & Health Department hasn’t blinked an eye.

Residents and heritage advocates are forced to ask, “If rent isn’t paid, rules aren’t followed, heritage isn’t respected, and basic facilities aren’t provided what exactly is the operator contributing to Shimla?”

The civic body claims the Lessee has “asked for more time” to clear the dues. Meanwhile, fresh violations continue unchecked, and the Town Hall with its timbered frame, historic windows and irreplaceable legacy pays the price.

What remains today is a painful picture as the heritage icon is reduced to a commercial billboard, its dignity undermined, its upkeep neglected, and its very purpose overlooked.

Shimla is left wondering: Are we protecting heritage or auctioning it off to the highest bidder who then refuses to even pay up?