Chief Minister PK Dhumal said Shimla was a historical town which had been witness to many important events through the British Raj and as such steps must be taken to protect the town against environment degradation.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Shimla Press Club here today, he said the press from the pre-independence days had played a very active role in highlighting important issues. “If we wish to secure future of the next generations we will have to protect environment and be very rational in use of natural resources,” he stressed.

Dhumal said with the inevitable ill effects of global warming and climate change, there was an urgent need for each one of us to change our lifestyle and conserve water, power and other natural resources. “The importance of environment protection is being stressed upon and schoolchildren are being imbibed such values so that they are more sensitive towards environment,” he added.

He said with manifold increase in population, the resources and civic amenities in the town had come under tremendous strain resulting in problems like traffic congestion, water shortage and overcrowding. “Since Shimla was conceived for a population of a few thousands by the British, today a lot of problems are being faced which need to be addressed to make it a world class tourist destination,” he added.

Dhumal recalled the long association that Shimla had with the media. “Several important newspapers are published from Shimla since pre-independence days so the town has a lot of significance in that respect as well,” he added.