The isolated and upper parts of Himachal Pradesh may witness snowfall on the New Year 2020 eve while tourist towns Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala and Dalhousie may miss it again as the meteorological centre, Shimla, has predicted 25 per cent chances of snowfall. There is good and bad news for tourists. The weatherman is not sure about the snowfall in tourist resorts of the state. Still, there is hope for tourists as they can see snowfall in upper regions of the state which are still connected by road. The actual good news is that the state has enough snow in store where tourists can spend quality time in the New Year eve and 2020. The state has missed a White Christmas this year but tourists got to see snow in upper Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie. A fresh western disturbance will affect the Western Himalayan regions from the night of December 30. The higher and isolated region of Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Mandi, Kangra, Chamba and Sirmour are likely to get some snow. Although chances of snowfall in Shimla and Manali towns are very low, the upper tourist destinations of both the tourist resorts may witness light snowfall on January 1. Shimla meteorological centre director Manmohan Singh said, “This time chances of snowfall in popular tourist towns of the state including Shimla and Manali are 25 per cent. However, some snowflakes are possible in the New Year. The high hills and isolated areas of the state will get some snow.” The tourist destinations of Himachal are already crowded with tourists. The tourist inflow will be highest between December 28 and January 1. All tourists are heading to Himachal with the expectation of watching live snowfall. Despite weak western disturbance, a fresh snowfall is likely in upper tourist destinations like Kufri and Narkanda
The isolated and upper parts of Himachal Pradesh may witness snowfall on the New Year 2020 eve while tourist towns Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala and Dalhousie may miss it again as the meteorological centre, Shimla, has predicted 25 per cent chances of snowfall. There is good and bad news for tourists. The weatherman is not sure
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s village Prini will soon become the smartest village of the country and will attract large number of tourist. Himachal government has drafted a plan to make village digitally sound and an eco-tourism hub. A large number of tourists visiting Manali generally ask about the location of Prini where Vajpayee has his house. A large number of hotels have mushroomed in the outskirt of Prini village. The village has many homestays and guesthouses as well. Prini is the base to famous tourist spot Hamta pass and is 4km from Manali. In an effort to pay tribute to Vajpayee, Himachal government has now planned to develop the whole village as a 21st century modern village where residents will get all the facilities and tourists will get to experience the charming atmosphere of a typical but smart and digital village. Plan is provide villagers with free wi-fi. CCTV cameras would be fitted on streets and major points. The streets and public places will have proper street lights. The whole land record would be digitalized. Road and streets would be beautified. The village will have proper sewers, drinking water supply, sanitation and garbage treatment facility. The village school will start smart classes. All works in village would be digitalized. The houses will have solar panels on roof to generate power and to warm up the water. Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus said administration is planning to develop Prini as a model village of 21st century. “As directed by government, villagers would be provided with all basic facilities like wi-fi and street lights. Prini will become an example of best eco-friendly model village in the country. It will also become an eco-tourism village. Following meetings, we shall discuss on ideas to implement the plan in best way,” he said. Former
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s village Prini will soon become the smartest village of the country and will attract large number of tourist. Himachal government has drafted a plan to make village digitally sound and an eco-tourism hub. A large number of tourists visiting Manali generally ask about the location of Prini where Vajpayee
The tourist town of Manali will soon get an ice hockey stadium that will be built for Rs 17cr by a company from the Netherlands. The stadium and the ice rink will be built as per international standards. Youth services and sports minister Govind Singh Thakur said on Tuesday that an MoU has been signed with a Netherlands based company and the work will start very soon. The huge stadium will be built in Manali which is otherwise famous for skiing and snowboarding. After the ice skating rink of Shimla and ice hockey rink of Spiti, it will be the third ice rink of the state. But, unlike other ice skating and hockey rinks of the country, this rink will be designed and built according to international standards so that international events could be organized here in the future. “This will be first such stadium of the country. Winter sports infrastructure is being strengthened in Manali. Besides skiing slopes, now we shall have a beautiful ice hockey rink where our children will rehearse and will prepare for national and international competitions. We can even host international events in the future. The stadium will also help in boosting the winter tourism,” Govind Thakur said. कुल्लू मनाली में नीदरलैंड की कंपनी इंटरनेशनल आईस हॉकी स्टेडियम बनाने जा रही है जिसके लिए कंपनी ने 17 करोड़ रूपये का एमओयू प्रदेश सरकार के साथ साईन किया है।@jairamthakurbjp सरकार का उद्देश्य देश व प्रदेश के खिलाड़ियों को खेल में अपनी प्रतिभा निखारने के लिए यह एक सराहनीय कदम है। pic.twitter.com/FSBOCY7jQM — Govind Singh Thakur (@govind4betterHP) December 24, 2019 The government is searching for the land for the project. The company will coordinate with Manali based Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports for technical and other support. Once complete, the stadium is likely
The tourist town of Manali will soon get an ice hockey stadium that will be built for Rs 17cr by a company from the Netherlands. The stadium and the ice rink will be built as per international standards. Youth services and sports minister Govind Singh Thakur said on Tuesday that an MoU has been signed
Heavy snowfall in parts of Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti and Mandi districts left traffic interrupted in many major roads while nearly 200 tourists stranded near Manali on Thursday. Hundreds of tourists had reached Gulaba and Kothi to see snowfall on Thursday morning. As it was snowing fast, tourists were asked to descend down to Kothi. Ignoring warning, many tourists stayed below Gulaba. Some tourists walked along the highway towards Gulaba. Later vehicles started slipping on the road and they got stranded. After getting news about tourists getting stranded, local administration, police and rescue volunteers rushed to Gulaba to carry out relief operation. All tourists were brought back to Manali by late evening. Manali sub-divisional magistrate Raman Gharsangi said tourists were not allowed to go beyond Gulaba on Thursday but some tourists were reported to have stranded below Gulaba. “The road had become very slippery. The tourists were brought to safe place with help of police, taxi union and other volunteers. Situation is under control,” he said. Solang valley and Kothi near Manali have experienced season’s first snowfall. Both places have received nearly 10cm of snow. Entire Lahaul valley is also covered with a thin layer of white blanket. Jalori pass in Kullu district that connects Anni and Nirmand sub-divisions with the headquarters has also witnessed season’s first snowfall, blocking the highway. Manali-Rohtang-Keylong highway has again closed after heavy snowfall. Rohtang pass has received over 60cm of fresh snow. Over 75cm of snow on Baralacha pass has blocked Keylong-Sarchu road as well. Heavy snowfall on Kunzum pass has blocked Gramphoo-Kaza road. The high hills of Mandi district including Shikari hills have also received snow. The temperature in the state has dipped sharply after snowfall and rains. The minimum temperature of Keylong has dipped to minus 0.6 degree Celsius. Temperature of Manali (3.6), Shimla
Heavy snowfall in parts of Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti and Mandi districts left traffic interrupted in many major roads while nearly 200 tourists stranded near Manali on Thursday. Hundreds of tourists had reached Gulaba and Kothi to see snowfall on Thursday morning. As it was snowing fast, tourists were asked to descend down to Kothi. Ignoring warning,
A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the instructors from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, led by director of the institute Colonel Neeraj Rana, who wanted to prove their mettle in the adventure sport besides popularizing water sports in Himachal. The expedition starts from Manali on October 23 and ended near Pong Dam in Kangra. Formal announcement of the record would be made by Limca Book of Records in a few days after analyzing the video footage and other records. “This was much difficult than we had imagined. I am extremely happy that my team has made it to the record books by being first to raft from Manali to Dehra in four days,” Col Rana said. He added that the total distance calculated by the expedition was 210km. “None of us had knowledge about the river flow, depth, falls, speed and entire geography. It was full of adventure and two days we had to raft in night time – one day till 2:30am as well – to achieve the deadline of four days.” Rana added that contrary to their belief that the stretch between Manali and Kullu has the most challenging rapids, the stretch between Mandi and Sandol had the grade-4 and grade-5 rapids. He further added that with the fast flow, high rapids and tight gorge, this area challenged them where it was difficult to maneuver the rafts. As a large number of tributaries meet the Beas, its water level keeps increasing. While water was
A group of 13 adventure sports instructors has set a world record by rafting the Beas from close to its origin till its end point in Himachal Pradesh in four days. The feat was achieved by rafting day and night. Two rafts and three kayaks were used in the expedition. All the participants were the
As Himachal is preparing to host Asian Rafting Championships next year, a 13 member team of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) has set out on a 230km-long rafting expedition on Beas on Wednesday. Aiming for a world record, the team will raft across the length of the Beas river in Himachal from Manali to Dehra in Kangra. Led by ABVIMAS director Col Neeraj Rana, the expedition was flagged off by forest, transport, sports and youth services minister Govind Singh Thakur from Manali. The minister himself experienced the thrill of rafting in wild rapids of Beas in first 15km stretch. “The team has challenge to complete the expedition in four days. Nobody did rafting in majority of the stretch of Beas till date. They are confident to set a world record. This will popularize water sports in Himachal. They are using two rafts and three kayaks,” Thakur said. The sports minister informed that World Rafting Federation has given its nod to Himachal for hosting Asian Rafting Championships in 2020. “We shall leave no stone unturned in smooth conduct of the championship on the Beas. This will open doors for Himachal to host World Rafting Championship. Our 25 rafters are going to Serbia to get advanced training,” he added. Rafting is forbidden for tourists in some stretches of Beas where rapids are high and water flow is fast. There are some stretches where water is deep but water flow is almost still. Shallow water and sharp edged rocks are another challenge. Col Neeraj Rana said the boys are full of enthusiasm and want to accomplish the task as soon as possible. “We have to reach Dehra bridge on October 26. We are taking care of our safety. We will be lifting our rafts and kayaks to the
As Himachal is preparing to host Asian Rafting Championships next year, a 13 member team of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) has set out on a 230km-long rafting expedition on Beas on Wednesday. Aiming for a world record, the team will raft across the length of the Beas river in
As the administration is allowing tourist vehicles to ply the Manali-Rohtang highway in the daytime, hundreds of tourists have made a beeline to Rohtang pass to enjoy the fresh snow. Rohtang is covered with 10 to 20cm of powder snow which will last for few more weeks. Earlier this month administration had stopped tourist movement to Rohtang pass after some vehicles had stranded in snowfall. The Manali administration is now allowing tourist vehicles to go to snow point at Rohtang pass in day time. But the tourists need to leave Rohtang for Manali in the afternoon before icing of the road in the evening time. A large number of tourists are thronging Rohtang every day. “We were given a surprise in the form of fresh snow at Rohtang pass. This was one of the best surprises we ever received,” a tourist from West Bengal Deepak Ojha said. He added that they had booked the tour to Himachal a long back and had not expected to see snow in Manali in October. “We were surprised to see the whole area covered with white blanket. We had a lot of fun all the day.” Another tourist from Delhi, Amit Rathore, said he and his wife planned trip to Manali after hearing news about snowfall at Rohtang pass. “This is our second trip to Manali. Last time we could not see snow. We left Delhi for Manali on Sunday morning and visited Rohtang on Monday. It was an amazing experience. There were no traffic jam and no maddening crowd as we had faced last time,” he said. Most of tourists visiting Himachal these days are from West Bengal. The hoteliers, who complained about weak summer tourist season this year, are still complaining of lean season. Tourist inflow increased since Dussehra but hoteliers say
As the administration is allowing tourist vehicles to ply the Manali-Rohtang highway in the daytime, hundreds of tourists have made a beeline to Rohtang pass to enjoy the fresh snow. Rohtang is covered with 10 to 20cm of powder snow which will last for few more weeks. Earlier this month administration had stopped tourist movement
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous journey from Manali on October 23. The challenge is to reach Dehra in Kangra district in four days after covering distance of about 230km. So far nobody has attempted to do this. Limca Book of Records officials will closely observe the expedition. If successful, it will be a world record. The river is wild and fast with high rapids and sharp boulder between Manali and Raison, while water can be shallow and slow at some places. The Beas river has two reservoirs – one at Larji and another near Pandoh in Mandi where rafts and kayaks will be lifted manually to the other side of the dam from where the members will start rowing their rafts. The team did a recce of the Beas and discovered that they will have to lift the rafts and kayaks for 5km beyond Larji dam as the stretch has very shallow water due to all waters being diverted through reservoir to generate electricity. Most stretches of Beas are dangerous for rafting and only a few stretches have been approved by government where tourists enjoy rafting. ABVIMAS director Colonel Neeraj Rana said each raft will have five rafters while three kayakers will give them the company. “The kayaks will ensure the safety of the rafters. Our target is to reach Dehra bridge on October 26. If we feel that we are unable to cover the distance on time, we shall travel in night time too. It’s a big challenge but
A 13-member team of adventure enthusiasts from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, will attempt to set a world record this month by scaling the length of the Beas river riding two rafts and three kayaks. ABVIMAS instructors under the leadership of director of the institute will start the arduous
The World Tourism Day 2019 was celebrated across Himachal Pradesh by welcoming tourists at bus stations, airports and hotels by offering them flower garlands, bouquets, Himachali caps and mufflers. The tourists were taken for a surprise after they received such unexpected welcome everywhere. Private hotels also welcomed tourists in traditional style. Special cultural programmes ere organized in the hotels. Some hotels even offered special discount on room tariff. This year the theme of the World Tourism Day is “Tourism and jobs: a better future for all” and India is a hosting country. As chief minister Jai Ram Thakur could not attend the seminar on WTD in Delhi, forest and transport minister Govind Singh Thakur represented Himachal. The CM attended Himachal Apple Festival – 2019 at Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. The festival is organized jointly by tourism and horticulture departments. The CM said that on the occasion of World Tourism Day, the tourism department has adopted “Himachal Apple Festival” as theme which shows the importance of apple in the economy of the state. He said apple cultivation and apple orchards could prove an added attraction to tourists visiting the state. “The horticulturists of Himachal are adopting latest technologies which are proving a boon to them as they are getting good prices for their produce. The apple growers should also go for latest varieties of apple to compete with the apple coming from other parts of the country and abroad,” he said. The CM crowned Shivankita Kanwar as Apple Prince, Deepanshi Thakur as Apple Princess, Yogesh as Apple King and Vanshika Katoch as Apple Queen on this occasion. He then cut a biggest apple cake, measuring 4.5ftX3.5ft and weighing over 200kg, prepared by tourism department alongwith Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Kufri. The cake has entered into the India Book
The World Tourism Day 2019 was celebrated across Himachal Pradesh by welcoming tourists at bus stations, airports and hotels by offering them flower garlands, bouquets, Himachali caps and mufflers. The tourists were taken for a surprise after they received such unexpected welcome everywhere. Private hotels also welcomed tourists in traditional style. Special cultural programmes ere
World’s highest bungee jumping site at an altitude of about 10,500ft will come up at steep but beautiful gorge near Marhi in Manali very soon. In an effort to attract more tourists to Manali, the government is developing different adventure activities which are either longest, tallest or are located at the highest altitude in the world. After making a 350m-long sky-cycling track at Gulaba, which is the highest such track of the world at an altitude of 9,300ft, the proposed bungee jumping site is at staggering 10,500ft from sea level. As the site has been finalized, the work on the project will start very soon. Manali based Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) will supervise the construction work. ABVIMAS director Col Neeraj Rana said the jumping platform will be 182m (596ft) high from the ground which is highest in Asia. “No country in the world has bungee jumping site at this altitude. We shall fit four 32mm metal cables across the gorge and a motorized cage will take the jumper to the jumping site. The whole project is based on a latest technique which has been adopted recently by the New Zealand and the USA,” he said. He added that the purpose of setting up of longest or highest adventure activities at highest altitude in the world is to make them extreme and catchy. “We want to make Manali an adventure sports destination for the world. We are introducing all popular activities and are brining latest techniques. We are taking care of the safety and environment as well.” This will be the first and the only bungee jumping of Himachal while second in North India. While all other adventure activities are available in Kullu-Manali, the absence of bungee jumping was upsetting the adventure enthusiasts. The high
World’s highest bungee jumping site at an altitude of about 10,500ft will come up at steep but beautiful gorge near Marhi in Manali very soon. In an effort to attract more tourists to Manali, the government is developing different adventure activities which are either longest, tallest or are located at the highest altitude in the