Can a town be overweight? Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh, has managed to become just that. The load, as always, has been piling on over the years. In this case, storey by storey. The erstwhile summer capital of the British empire, once hailed as the Queen of Hill Stations, has now become an outsized, uncontrolled monster in urgent need of therapy. Recent geological studies indicate that roughly 25 per cent of the old town is in the sinking zone, and unless improvements are made in the drainage and sewerage systems of the upper reaches, more could go under. Slopes have become overloaded, and buildings in several heavily crowded localities in the central part of the town have become unsafe as they fall in the sinking zone. A development plan drawn up by the Himachal Pradesh town and country planning department (currently awaiting Cabinet approval) minces no words on the present ailments of Shimla. The town, which was built for a population of just 25,000 in the early 20th century, today houses close to three lakh people. And, as against the recommended density of 450 persons per square hectare in hill settlements, the town's localities have densities ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 persons for the same area. Though the Shimla Municipal Corporation has