DHARAMSHALA OF MY DREAMS

“Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” William Dement.

I am a dreamer, have a sea of dreams twinkling in my eyes. I am a son of Dharamshala. Cuddled between the mighty peaks since my childhood, I am totally in love with this Arcadian and placid town. No doubt it is the best place in the world to live, with the Himalayas looking in their supreme majesty all over the valley, being blessed with various temples, Shaktipeeths, monasteries’ and having our Brand Ambassador HH Dalia Lama living amongst ourselves, here we are too close to divinity, the closest one can possibly be.

Geographically, the present landscape of Dharamshala was formed some ten million years ago with the shifting of Gondwana landmass. A few visitors were here about a millennium ago, the Mongols and the Tibetans on religious sojourns and the ethnic people here lived a nomadic and semi nomadic life then.

Initially, ruled by the Locals, the Mughals, the Gorkhas & the Sikhs, the British annexed Dharamshala in 1848. Later in 1855 the district Headquarters was shifted in a traditional building near Bhagsunag which was called Drumsla. Hence, the town got its present name which can also be attributed to a Local King Dharam Singh. Mesmerized by the serene, picturesque and tidy Dharamshala, the British called it as “The little England”. It is here, where the legend of Gorkha Regiment began with the I GR. But the devastation of 1905 earthquake led to the relocation of British as well as their plan of setting up the summer capital here.

Slowly and gradually, the population again started to increase and the town started to grow. On the other hand however, it also started losing on its various projects, funds etc. Some of which were the shifting of Gorkha Regiment in 1954, a proposed road to Leh in 1976, sewerage project funded by the UN, ropeway project from the Germans and a zoo in 1980’s. Also an ambitious Eco-tourism project in 1990’s could not be taken up.

In the present day scenario too, proposals from various private institutes, central institutes, various temples etc. could not be worked upon in the true spirit. Even the ‘Smart city project’ which has been much in the news and talks, has its own challenges and hiccups. This ambitious project is a one of its kind in the entire nation & is the remedy for all the maladies and problems, like an Aladdin’s lamp, in the true sense.

With high hopes from this project, presently the main areas which need most attention are broadly:

1. Transportation and Tourism:

Tourism being the mainstay, the city chokes often on weekends and other events due to the heavy influx of tourists.

The main issues are the lack of parking spaces, narrow roads, absence of alternate and internal roads, incompletion of internals roads and the absence of an outer ring road above all.

These issues can be resolved by developing Smart parking at the various city centers, Widening of the narrow lanes, construction of alternate roads and by having a new internal road network. Even a proper and reliable public transport shuttling can be provided to each and every corner of the city, so that people can shift to this efficient public transport with faith thereby mitigating their dependence on the expensive and unreliable private transport to a great extent as well as own means of commutation.

The choking can easily be dealt with incorporation of Intelligent Transport System and hotspot public interactive screens (at all city entry points, all major intersections, bus stops, city centers, etc.), where in drivers are automatically diverted to alternative routes. This will lead to decreased fuel consumption, reduction in green house gases and increased productivity. Even the commuter of public transportation should get all the relevant details of their commutation to the last minute on these screens. Pedestrian-ization needs to done at all city centers and walking needs to be promoted. No-vehicle entry zones have to be identified in these city centers initially for a specific duration of time which will encourage people to walk. Even cycling has to be encouraged at places with flatter terrains and can be promoted by having specific cycle tracks on roads and slots for cycle parking.

At administrative level, for people without parking spaces, a new initiative of smart parking allotment and monthly billing with registration of every new vehicle can be done to check the unauthorized parking menace. A step towards increasing the life of these newly developed roads can be installation of vehicle-weighing machines at all entry roads of the city, so as to check the overloaded commercial transport vehicle, as the overloading leads to deterioration of roads in the long run.

Moreover, a smart initiative like getting an sms on reaching the nearest mobile tower at the city boundary for one time and life time registration on the real time city portal, so as to have all the relevant real time details at the disposal of all the residents as well as the tourists via registering, which will be a futuristic endeavor for our Smart City. 

Tourism:

Being one of the oldest municipal councils (1867) Dharamshala has a heritage tag, which demands to be revived and preserved. The entire facet of the city has to be preserved. The tourism sector needs a lot of work to be done upon.

Innovative ideas like organizing heritage walks, nature walks for the residents initially can encourage them to catch up with the idea which can be later extended to tourists. Dedicated circuits like - religious and spiritual, adventure, extreme adventure, walking and cycle trail, paragliding, skiing, niche technical trekking also needs to be promoted globally. We also have famous buildings like Elyizium house, Donald house, Kishore Niwaz, Chestnut Villa, etc, and even had forts, one in Forsythganj and another near Upper TCV, and these all seek revival and restoration. We have one of the biggest green patches nationwide, right from Kala Pul to Naddi, which can be explored as a trail zone.

Moreover Dharamshala being one of the rainiest cities, we can innovate rain activities like puddle jumps, rain festivals, rain drop music dance etc thereby creating a new sector.

Along with developing Shri Addi Himaani Chamunda Mata ( Purani Chamunda Mata on the Hill top ) on lines with the Mata Vaisno Devi Shrine will be the way forward to share this divine treasure with everyone.

At administrative level, innovative initiatives like developing and implementing a Smart touristing  system can come in handy where in the occupancy and tariff of each segment, of the total rooms available in all the hotels, lodges, etc is maintained on a in single platform in real time, which should be at an instant disposal on internet for all. These details can even be flashed on the hotspot interactive screens with efficient feedback mechanism, so that this sector has an organized growth and no one is fleeced during peak seasons. Overall, Dharamshala has to be branded as a top tourist destination and the city should pitch for international events. Hence this sector will be a forefront of local business and economy which will fuel the growth of the city. Moreover extending the railways line to Dharamshala via the flatter terrain (along foothills i.e. Nagrota Baghwa, Pathiar, Chamunda, Jagrandal, Yol, Rakkar, Khanyara, or any other route) and having unique a “Himalayas on Wheels” Train here can boost the tourism. Even the proposal of upgrading the airport here for international flights should be worked upon and completed on priority bases. 

2. Health:

The key issues are pollution from solid waste, open defecation, compromised water supply and, overflowing sewerage.

Firstly, the solid waste management is the need of hour. Organizing awareness campaigns and encouraging the residents to participate, installing smart dustbins pan city at every 80 to 100m, along with e-toilets especially at all the city centers and conventional community toilets for the financially weak can begin the needed transformation. 

Secondly, the defunct water distribution has to be upgraded, a universal water line and smart distribution  network with proper metering has be to established for each and every house, and the present practice of laying ‘n’ number of individual pipes from the main pipes has to be done away with. Hence 24x7 supply will be possible pan city with minimal or no leakages. Moreover the existing sewerage system has to be upgraded with new and alternative lines so that we don’t face the existing issue of overflowing sewerage with just a single rain.

Moreover having countries first public ISO certified hospital, Dharamshala is emerging as a Medical Tourism destination. This can also be explored, like the days of yore when a free plastic surgery camp at this premise remained a key event for the public from all over the region as well as very popular news then.

At administrative level, smart health database and EMRs need to be incorporated so that all the medical records of each patient in all hospitals are digitally maintained and are available at all health institutes at a click of a button. This will ensure better quality of care, early detection and prevention of diseases, better diagnosis and continuity of treatment along with better medical research. Setting up of generic drug store can also be a good initiative. Moreover establishing a trauma center at the zonal hospital will be a blessing for the emergency and causality patients.

3. Education:

Key issues – Fewer avenues for higher education resulting in brain drain, generation drain, etc

The real smartness here will be on focusing on the efficient use of the existing infrastructure and modernizing it wherever necessary. Having one smart class in all schools will be a good initiative. Institutes should be encouraged to have more and more tie ups at national and international level with impetus on industrial training as well as placements. Hence students educated here will have more exposure and will be able to work efficiently for a sustainable city.

Secondly, apart from the existing unorganized private job sector, some more options for employment have to be thought of like setting up of IT or Biotech Parks.

At administrative level, a thrust has to be given for setting up of innovation, research and development centers at the school, college and university level. This will be a new beginning and these will eventually become centers of excellence and serve the society. Like in Germany they have innovated techniques by collecting sewerage from a dozen odd houses in hilly terrains and that is used to generate energy, we can also explore such options. Moreover, we can revive the defunct KULH system to generate power. Moreover as Dharamshala is very famous for Yoga and Meditation, setting up a University for the same will elevate spirits of all: the locals, the seekers, the tourists.

4. Public administration:

Key issues – Weak connections at grass root level, unawareness of various schemes, unchecked concretization, and no formal preparedness for natural calamities.

Apart from the above mentioned areas the administration can take the lead in spreading the awareness of the already existing various schemes for different sections of the society like street vending act, rag pickers rehabilitation, shelters for the homeless , and the various health, insurance schemes, just to name a few.  When these schemes will be availed by their true beneficiaries a spark of social transformation will be ignited which will lead to overall development of the city and country.

Also, as Dharamshala is in the seismic zone five, the unchecked skyscraper construction is an open invitation to catastrophe. A very strong town and country master plan with heavy fines as well as demolition rights, is the need of hour. Like a smart policy of giving a ten to twenty year time to the existing buildings to transform as per the master plan, so gradually everyone is moved out from the existing death traps. A disaster management team should be ready 24x7 for deployment with in-depth know how of the city (by having a dozen odd helicopters and a back up teams and plans). This is the prime and utmost important issue to be addressed. 

Moreover installing CCTV cameras at all the major city centers and junctions and having real time surveillance via a control room can come in handy for the administrative purposes. Having a data base of the biometrics of all the residents will be a smart initiative (most of which can be linked via Aadhar cards) for any adverse situation. 

In the beginning, even simple steps like clearing the wire webs all over the city, be it electricity, telephone, cable TV, etc, getting rid of erratic power cuts, not letting drains to clog, starting solid waste management etc., can help win the confidence of the locals and in no time, everyone will start to relate with the development. Moreover having recreational centers for the children (an indoor multi facility center having various games like badminton, basketball , volleyball, TT, Lawn Tennis, swimming, gymnasium, arts and crafts, etc.) will help channelize their energy. Similarly having a center for our elderly population will be a blessing for them to have quality time with friends in same age groups.

To sum up, the various services and schemes are need to be integrated into a single, transparent portal which should be user friendly, efficient with a proper time-bound feedback system. These schemes can be flashed by the hotspot public interactive screens and can be especially useful in case of emergency situations.

To conclude, I dream that my Dharamshala evolves as a ’True Smart City’, a ‘Universal City’ a benchmark above all. A city where the smart residents, the smart society will spearhead the transformation in unison, where everyone feels oneness with the city and the whole city lives as a big cosmopolitan family. A utopian city which will be studied worldwide for its transformation. I dream and dream big for my city, it will be ‘The City’ which will issue work and residency permits to the outsiders, with its futuristic and self sustained perspective. A city where people from all age groups, all walks of life, the richest to a migrant labor or porter, the flora and fauna, the natural bounty and even a speck of dust is taken care of and relates to the city. A city, where we will provide more options to all, especially for our next generations for education, work and entrepreneurship resulting in comprehensive empowerment for all. A city designed for the needs of the physically disabled and the mentally challenged, where the quality of life will improve manifold for everyone, where the energy and all natural recourses will be spent more efficiently.

Hence by conserving our natural bounty, preserving our flora and fauna, our ethnicity and tradition we have to make our Dharamshala the “Real Smart City”, which the world will replicate, A DREAM CITY FOR ALL.