Dharamsala Declared Second Capital Of Himachal Pradesh
- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday announced that Dharamsala town in Kangra district will be the second state capital.
- Singh said the city fully deserved the status because of its history and significance.
- According to The Tribue, the chief minister belives that Dharmsala holds special importance and value in lower areas of the state like Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra and Una districts.
- He also highlighted the importance of the city, saying it attracted people from across the world. He added that tourism had changed the town’s fortune.
- The chief minister said that the people of these areas would now benefit from the decision and that they would not be required to travel long distances to come to Shimla for their works.
- Dharamsala already figured prominently in national and international map due to its significance owing to many reasons including religious, natural and adventurous tourism and also being abode of Tibetan Spiritual head Dalai Lama.
About Dharamsala
- Dharamsala is a city in Himachal’s Kangra district. It was formerly known as Bhagsu.
- Dharamshala is a city in the upper reaches of the Kangra Valley and is surrounded by dense coniferous forest consisting mainly of stately Deodar cedar trees.
- The suburbs include McLeodGanj, Bhagsunath, Dharamkot, Naddi, ForsythGanj, Kotwali Bazaar (the main market), Kaccheri Adda (government offices such as the court, police, post, etc.), Dari, Ramnagar, Sidhpur, and Sidhbari (where the Karmapa is based).
- It was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi’s flagship Smart Cities Mission. Dharamshala has held 12 Winter Sessions of the state Assembly.
- The Dalai Lama’s residence and the headquarters of Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government in exile) are in Dharamsala.
- A complete Vidhan Sabha building exists in Dharamsala for which the foundation was laid in his last tenure in 2006. This town has already been a witness of holding 12 winter sessions of the assembly so far.
- Dharamshala has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi’s flagship Smart Cities Mission.
