In the winter of 2017, when the then chief minister, late
Virbhadra Singh, had declared
Dharamshala
as the second capital of
Himachal Pradesh
, it was seen as a final step towards bridging the gap between lower and upper Himachal.
Apart from symbolising equality, the move was aimed at providing benefits to a large population of lower Himachal by giving them a capital at their doorstep. Five years down the line, the second capital remains on paper only.
A one-line notification issued in March 2017 declared Dharamshala as the state's second capital and it was assumed that some offices would be shifted from Shimla to the town in Kangra district, but nothing has been done.
During the same year, in December 2017,
BJP came to power and it put the brakes on the entire exercise, says
Vijay Karan, a Congress leader from Dharamshala. "Neither government offices were shifted from Shimla nor any secretary-level officials were posted at the secretariat in the town in the last five years under the BJP rule," says Karan.
"Dharamshala as a second capital will be of immense benefit to the people, especially those belonging to districts in lower Himachal. It is meant to bring parity between lower and upper regions," adds Karan.
Ever since Himachal was given statehood in 1971, there remained a feeling of discrimination amongst people in the districts of lower Himachal - Kangra, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur, and parts of Chamba and Mandi.
Though Kangra, Hamirpur and Una alone have 25 assembly seats out of the total 68 assembly seats, and Kangra alone has remained politically influential, it is felt economic development here has not been on a par with upper Himachal.
It is against this background that former CM late Virbhadra Singh, in 1993-94, had started his 'winter sojourn', a period in winter when he would spend time with government officials in lower Himachal to listen to the grievances of people. This became a sort of a tradition and is still followed by CMs.
In 2005, Dharamshala got another boost in its claim to becoming the second capital when, during Virbhadra government, the winter session was held here for the first time. In the following years, the new buildings of the mini-secretariat and the secretariat also came up. "No doubt there existed a discriminatory attitude against lower Himachal, but this is a thing of the past now," says Professor Harish Thakur, a political analyst and the chairperson of political science department, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla.
"Today, a second capital symbolizes state unity; if implemented properly, it would benefit the people of many districts, which are closer to Dharamshala than Shimla. Travelling to Shimla is still an issue from in far-off areas of lower belts," adds Thakur.
However, nothing has changed on the ground. Rather, the second capital declaration has created further political divisions, with Congress all set to make it an issue in the forthcoming assembly polls.
According to Sudhir Sharma, former MLA from Dharamshala and a minister in the previous Congress government, the second capital declaration must be implemented in letter and spirit. "We already have annual winter sessions in Dharamshala. Infrastructure has been developed over the years to convert it into a second capital. What is needed now is to shift offices from Shimla. The directorate of education, industries could be some of the departments that can be shifted," says Sharma.
He addds there has also been a demand for havng a bench of the Himachal Pradesh high court in Dharamshala. "Shifting offices will not only benefit people, but it will also help decongest Shimla," adds Sharma.
BJP, on the other hand, has been opposing the second capital status to Dharamshala.
BJP leaders criticize the Congress, saying Virbhadra made the announcement before the 2017 assembly polls, just to gain political mileage.
Moreover, the cost involved in shifting departments will be way too high for a debt-ridden state like Himachal, say BJP leaders. "A small state like ours doesn't require two capitals. If distance is a criteria, what about southern states of India whose capital is also Delhi? Given today's situation, it should be government policy to lower expenditure and focus on development," says senior BJP leader and former CM Shanta Kumar.
Kumar rubbishes talk of discrimination against lower Himachal. "It's no longer the case and discrimination is useless talk now. Politicians have become aware and so have people. Himachal is witnessing equal development," adds Kumar.
Professor Mamta Mokta, chairperson of the public administration department at HPU, also believes that creating two capitals will burden the state exchequer. "Additional capital means additional infrastructure and extra financial burden. Himachal is a small state and I think one capital is sufficient. As far as distance is concerned, we are living in a digital age with e-governance being the focus."
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