Kullu-Manali, where the government is promoting ecotourism, has witnessed unprecedented plantation in the last five years as people here have made it a mission to cover all available forest land with different species of trees. All this started after National Green Tribunal (NGT) slammed Himachal government and Kullu administration on various environmental issues multiple times. Concerned over the fragile ecology of Rohtang area being damaged by increasing tourism and increasing number of vehicles, NGT had asked state government to regulate tourism and plant trees. Lakhs of new saplings are being planted every year. Be it forest department, mahila mandal, yuvak mandal, panchayats, hoteliers, taxi operators, stakeholders or villagers, all are rushing for plantation during monsoon season. Burua panchayat of Manali alone has planted more than one lakh saplings in last few years. Both government and private schools have contributed to increase the green cover in the district. While the plantation drive was mostly influenced by environmentalists who are concerned over global warming, the drive was also meant for appeasing NGT as it was unhappy from pollution harming the ecology of Rohtang and nearby area. Over 60 thousand saplings planted below Rohtang in a couple of years earned Sarvottam Paudhropan Puraskar to the forest guard Neeraj Thakur. Kullu divisional forest officer Dr Neeraj Chadha, who helped in making plantation drive a mission in Kullu and implemented NGT order efficiently won Aranya Gaurav Puraskar from Himachal government. “Plantation has become a mission for people here. Be it students, women or elderly, all are coming forward for the green cause. Even these days plantation is continuing at multiple places. Local women are playing an important role. We are providing suitable species to the people and are protecting the area under new plantation by fencing,” DFO Dr Neeraj Chadha said. The mahila mandals in
Kullu-Manali, where the government is promoting ecotourism, has witnessed unprecedented plantation in the last five years as people here have made it a mission to cover all available forest land with different species of trees. All this started after National Green Tribunal (NGT) slammed Himachal government and Kullu administration on various environmental issues multiple times.
Kullu administration on Tuesday imposed complete ban on water sports including river rafting and paragliding with immediate effect. The decision was taken given the monsoon rains and swelling water level of all rivers and their tributaries in the district. Tourism and civil aviation deputy director Bhag Chand Negi said water level is very high in Beas and other streams following the rain. “Taking precautionary measure to avoid any accident, river rafting in Beas and paragliding at all sites in Kullu have been stopped till September 15. Strict compliance of the order would be ensured,” he said. Both water and aero sports become very risky during this time. Administration bans rafting every year in monsoon season under River Rafting Act 2005 and bans paragliding under section Himachal Pradesh Aero Sports Rules, 2004. The ban is generally lifted on September 15. The administration has also requested people to stay away from rivers and nullahs during rain as sudden rise in water level can result in flood like situation. The hydel projects here also release surplus water from reservoir which causes sudden rise in water level in rivers.
Kullu administration on Tuesday imposed complete ban on water sports including river rafting and paragliding with immediate effect. The decision was taken given the monsoon rains and swelling water level of all rivers and their tributaries in the district. Tourism and civil aviation deputy director Bhag Chand Negi said water level is very high in
The 32km uphill yatra to Shrikhand Mahadev at an altitude of 19,000ft in Nirmand region of Kullu will officially start from July 15 to 25 under strict security arrangements and some restrictions to ensure safety of the pilgrims from many parts of the country. The pilgrims this year will have to follow strict instructions to be able to go on yatra. To make sure that every pilgrim comes back to the base safely, the minimum age of pilgrim should be 15 years. The pilgrims will have to bring a medical fitness certificate with them. And those wearing chappals would be sent back home. Anni sub-divisional magistrate Chet Singh said a meeting of the trust members and officials held on Monday and these strict decisions were taken for the safety of the pilgrims. “The pilgrims will have to register themselves after paying a fee of Rs 150. Advance registration will also be available at tehsildar office from July 10 to 14 but pilgrims will have to bring medical fitness certificate with them. A medical team will examine the pilgrims at base camp. We shall keep a check on BP and sugar level as well. Shoes would be mandatory for pilgrims,” he said. Shrikhand yatra is considered the toughest pilgrimage of the country which claims many lives every year. The yatra starts from Singhad at 6,000ft from sea level and ends at 19,000ft. Besides Himachal, most of the pilgrims come from Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Given the increasing popularity of the pilgrimage and the increasing number of casualties, the Himachal government has formed Shrikhand Yatra Trust and the pilgrimage is conducted under the supervision of Kullu administration. People can come till Jaon by car or bus and then treks for 3km to reach base camp at Singhad. Reaching 72ft tall Shiva lingam
The 32km uphill yatra to Shrikhand Mahadev at an altitude of 19,000ft in Nirmand region of Kullu will officially start from July 15 to 25 under strict security arrangements and some restrictions to ensure safety of the pilgrims from many parts of the country. The pilgrims this year will have to follow strict instructions to
As monsoon brings with it landslides, cloudbursts and floods on hills, Kullu administration is preparing in advance to make rainy season pleasant for residents and tourists. The monsoon may reach Himachal any time. The rivers and water streams in Kullu have already swollen as snow on peaks is melting fast due to rise in temperature. The administration has asked all the SDMs, officials of public works department, national highway authority of India and tourism department to keep a watch in their respective areas and stay alert. Hundreds of houses are built along the riverside in Kullu while many slum areas have also come up in last few years. The migrants from other states, mostly beggars and labourers, have established slums near the rivers on forest land. “People living close to rivers are asked to stay alert as water level may rise suddenly during rain. All the departments have been asked to get prepared to deal with any situation,” Kullu deputy commissioner Dr Richa Verma said. “The officials have been asked to stop people from going close to rivers and stop encroachment to establish slums.” She said the glaciers are melting fast and downpour can bring rivers and their tributaries in spate which can prove fatal. “Tourists will not be allowed to go near rivers to take selfie. Tourism department has been asked to put warning signage at such places. The department will also keep a watch on adventure activities like rafting and paragliding. The hydel project managements have been asked to alert people before releasing surplus water from the reservoirs,” she added. Landslides along national highways and link roads that block them and pose threat to traffic remain the main concern during monsoon season in Kullu. The DC said PWD and NHAI have been asked to mark landslide-prone areas and
As monsoon brings with it landslides, cloudbursts and floods on hills, Kullu administration is preparing in advance to make rainy season pleasant for residents and tourists. The monsoon may reach Himachal any time. The rivers and water streams in Kullu have already swollen as snow on peaks is melting fast due to rise in temperature.
With end of June, the tourist footfall in Kullu-Manali has started to decrease as summer vacations in most schools have ended and monsoon has arrived in many parts of the country. The hoteliers say its safe to visit Kullu-Manali in monsoon season as the highway has mostly widened and this is the best time to visit as hotels are easily available at reasonable tariff. They said enough snow is available at Rohtang pass and taxis are easily available for a discounted fare. The peak summer tourist season in Himachal has come to an end. The tourist footfall has dropped by nearly 50 per cent in a week. The hotel occupancy which was nearly 100 per cent last week has plunged below 50 percent. The hotel occupancy is expected to drop to less than 25 per cent in a week as monsoon showers are likely to bring respite from the heat in plains. “We saw peak tourism season for less than 20 days in June when all hoteliers did good business. With beginning of July, tourists start avoiding hill stations. July and August are the leanest business months,” a hotelier Ramesh Thakur said. Most hotels are giving huge discounts on room tariff to attract more tourists in off-season. The parking and traffic jam problem has finished here. The taxi rent too has suddenly dropped as cabbies are not getting passengers easily. Most of the hoteliers say this was the worst summer season for them as they did not see 100 per cent occupancy in June which is rare for them. They blamed long traffic jams, inadequate parking, unavailability of permit for vehicle to go to Rohtang pass and extremely high taxi fare for this. Most tourists had bad experience as they had to spend all nights in long traffic jams between
With end of June, the tourist footfall in Kullu-Manali has started to decrease as summer vacations in most schools have ended and monsoon has arrived in many parts of the country. The hoteliers say its safe to visit Kullu-Manali in monsoon season as the highway has mostly widened and this is the best time to
