Shimla MC carves furniture out of fallen tree stumps

Fixed to the ground at locations such as the Ridge, near Gaiety Theatre, Yodha Niwas, Jakhu Temple and Chhota Shimla, these stumps were sourced from cedar (deodar) trees that had fallen over the years due to storms, landslides, and other natural disasters, especially in 2019 and 2022.

The use of fallen trees from “protected, reserved, and sanctuary forest areas”, however, remains strictly prohibited.

Joint Director, Municipal Corporation, Bhuwan Sharma, said, “These stumps were part of trees that had fallen during the disasters of 2019 and 2023 in Shimla. The departments — such as the Forest Department, PWD, and Irrigation & Public Health Department (IPH), on whose land the trees had fallen — had taken away the usable timber, leaving the stumps behind. Over time, these stumps became a nuisance for the civic body as nothing could be constructed or developed at those locations. We are now removing and utilising them after completing the required formalities. Most of the left-out stumps lay on the government land and in the green belt area.”

“The decision to use these stumps was taken with the objective of utilising waste material. Shimla frequently witnesses the falling of trees due to strong winds, landslides, and storms. We found hundreds of leftover stumps across the city —excluding those in “protected and reserved forest areas” — and decided to repurpose them for public use. We hired carpenters who crafted about 300 pieces in the form of stools. After being polished, these are now being installed wherever needed,” Mayor Surinder Chauhan told The Indian Express.

In a bid to promote recycling and boost tourism, the civic body is also developing a “Waste to Wonder” park using recyclable materials such as old tyres and plastic.

The project, slated to begin this year, will be complemented by the renovation of existing parks across the city.

Officials have said that the location for the new park will be finalised within the next two months.

Himachal Pradesh witnessed major disasters in 2019 and 2022 in the form of incessant rain, landslides, and cloudbursts, which caused extensive damage to the state’s infrastructure.