Editorial: Shimla’s Sealed Roads and Unsealed Habits

Shimla, June 10 Ritanjali Hastir

Shimla has spent the last few weeks debating sealed roads. Lawyers have protested outside the Secretariat, permit rules have been questioned, and officials have spoken about regulating vehicle movement on roads meant to remain free from unnecessary traffic.

Yet, sometimes the real story is not in policy meetings or protest gatherings. It is found on the road itself.

At Lakkar Bazaar near Hotel White today evening , a vehicle reportedly attached to the High Court was seen stopping on a sealed road not once, but twice. There was no judge or officer in sight. Only the driver was present. Whether he was shopping for himself or for his boss is anyone’s guess. What is clear, however, is that the vehicle remained parked in a way that left very little room for pedestrians and other movement.

Now, this is not about one driver. It is about the strange contradictions that have become common in Shimla.

Ordinary citizens are expected to understand permits, restrictions, timings and sealed-road regulations. Lawyers have argued that access rules need to be practical and fair. The administration insists that these measures are necessary to reduce congestion and protect pedestrian spaces.

But when vehicles connected to important institutions are seen treating those same roads as temporary parking spots, people are bound to ask a simple question: Are the rules meant for everyone, or only for those without official stickers?

The funny part is that nobody seemed particularly concerned. The road narrowed, people adjusted, and life moved on as it often does in Shimla. Perhaps residents have become so used to such scenes that they no longer find them surprising.

The issue is not whether the vehicle belonged to a particular institution. The issue is whether the spirit behind sealed roads is being followed at all.

If a road is important enough to require permits, protests and restrictions, then it should also be important enough to discourage casual stops that inconvenience pedestrians.

Shimla does not suffer from a shortage of rules. It suffers from a shortage of consistency.

And until that changes, sealed roads will continue to be sealed mostly on paper, while the rest of us keep squeezing past parked vehicles and wondering what exactly is being protected.