Shimla, May 28 -- Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called for urgent reforms in planning, infrastructure, and environmental governance while warning that Himachal Pradesh was entering a critical phase of urban transformation and climate vulnerability. He was speaking at the release of the book, 'City Limits: The Crisis of Urbanisation', authored by environmentalist, urban policy expert and former deputy mayor of Shimla Tikender Singh Panwar. "I have seen Shimla changing since my childhood. Areas that once had forests are now covered with buildings. There is a need for vertical construction here," he remarked. Addressing the gathering, the CM said, "We need to understand Himachal differently. By 2040, nearly 50% of the population will be living in urban areas. Policies must be framed keeping in mind the load-bearing capacity of hill cities. Scientific construction, structural engineering, and protection of greenery are essential." Sukhu said the state government had constituted committees of environmental and disaster experts after devastating calamities in Himachal and had discussed the issue with the Union home minister. "We are studying why repeated cloudbursts are occurring and what role climate change is playing. The impact that is being seen in the hills today will eventually reach the plains as well," he said. Sukhu said, "During a meeting with the Union home minister, I mentioned that cloudburst incidents will not remain limited to Himachal in the future. Such incidents are likely to increase in Uttarakhand and the northeastern states as well." He reiterated that the state government was committed to taking Himachal forward on the path of development while safeguarding the state's natural environment, culture and social balance. He said Shimla's carrying capacity had become a serious concern due to traffic congestion, inadequate parking, water shortages, and haphazard construction. "The problem is not over-tourism; the tourism infrastructure is weak and needs strengthening. We need new urban townships because infrastructure is lacking," he said. Describing Himachal as the "lungs and water bowl of northern India", Sukhu said, "Himachal has nearly 68% forest land. Punjab became the food bowl of India because Himachal remained the water bowl. We deserve compensation and resources for the ecological services we provide." The chief minister demanded greater financial rights from hydropower projects run by entities. Referring to construction permissions and land-use disputes, he said there were instances where the judiciary had overruled government concerns regarding ecological impacts and obstruction of valley views. Speaking at the event, former chief justice of the Jharkhand high court Tarlok Singh Chauhan said, "Development without inclusion is incomplete, and exclusion is fundamentally unjust." He said sanitation workers, street vendors, waste handlers, and the urban poor were often excluded from planning processes despite sustaining the city economy. He stressed that lifts in hill towns were no longer a luxury but a necessity for senior citizens and questioned the growing number of vehicles in areas with almost no parking capacity. On ecology, he said unchecked hillside construction had disrupted natural systems and contributed to falling groundwater levels and worsening air quality. He said, "The main issue I want to discuss is that the state requires complete institutional accountability. Urbanisation is not merely a demographic change, it is the reorganisation of society itself."...