Shimla, Sep 18
President of India’s visit to Shimla city should be a celebration not a sad state of affairs,” remarked Varun Dawar a shopkeeper on the Mall Road of Shimla. ” It has been learned that President of India pulled the local administration to not turn his visit in the town a source of trouble to local public ” Varun said president seems to be aware of the fallout of VVIP culture.
President is on a visit to Shimla till Sunday, Sept 19. He and his family have come here on a sojourn. Might be rightly so, or pressed by the Security of the President or the Administration, the state police/ administration in a recent directive on President visit Shimla, had directed all shopkeepers of the Mall to close down shutters, during the movement of the first citizen of India in the area. To add to the security plan, even pedestrian commuters were required to be stopped.
However, when the President learned about this decision of the HP police/ Security/ Administration that the city is being halted for his security; he directed the security agencies to ease out the situation. Understanding the challenges of the infrastructural choked city, he reportedly told security agencies to relax.
A couple of days before the President’s visit began in Shimla, the state police during a mock drill had forced all shopkeepers of the Mall to close down shutters for some time, till the drill is complete. Varun Dawar, a shopkeeper had then made this statement, expressing discontent that the President’s visit will now cause forced economic losses to already tighten business.
Undoubtedly, the first citizen deserves a high level of security, but not like this, stated ML Verma, another regular Mall road visitor. Including the father of the Nation, Various dignitaries have visited Shimla mall road over the period.
Even earlier presidents have visited Mall road, but closing down shutters is something new in the security protocol.
.” Shimla Mall road is peculiar in its location. Perhaps out of the few open Malls in the World. “Keeping up strict security protocols can be a nightmare here,” added another Rahul. ,” Yet ruining someone’s livelihood for a VVIP does not exactly relate to a democratic setup.” Perhaps rightly so, the president has saved the moment from becoming in commemorate.
In a peaceful place like Shimla, any top-level VVIP/ VIP or commoner can move around without worrying about the security protocol, even Prime Ministers have randomly stopped on the Mall shops. PM Narendra Modi stopped by at the Coffee House on the Mall.
Mall road daily commuter Sanjay Thakur said that India claimed to be the biggest democracy needs to learn from the UK and USA as their President and head of state(s) travel alone buying with their family and not with the army of security persons like us.
The way administrators trying to trouble the people it seems that they want to spread Covid by curtailing public place for social distancing. The Mall Road was meant for the pedestrian but the empty SUVs and cars are running on the roads without any purpose.
Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and other VVIPs have visited the mall road or ridge but people of Shimla never faced such inconvenience, he added.
