In a public hearing organized by town and country planning (TCP) sub-committee in Manali to know the public views, all the people opposed TCP rules being enforced in the village areas as the Act was not practical in congested villages with limited land. The Himachal government will organize public hearings in different parts of the state to know the public views and to hear grievances. The TCP Act is likely to be amended based on the public opinion. The first such public hearing was organizing in Manali which was chaired by forest and transport minister Govind Singh Thakur who is the member of cabinet sub-committee for exclusion or inclusion of TCP areas. Besides TCP, officials from all the departments were present on the occasion. Villagers, hoteliers, stakeholders and panchayat representatives were present in the hearing. The present people were given chance to share their opinion and grievances one by one. All the people present on the occasion unanimously said that given the tough geography of Kullu district and limited land in congested villages, it was impossible to follow the strict rules of the TCP. As hoteliers are most affected by the TCP Act, a large number of hotel owners were present in the hearing. “The TCP department should have formed village level committees before making and enforcing the new TCP Act which brings villages under its purview. The villages are densely populated and everybody has limited land. If a person has a house on 150sqm land and he has three children who further want to build their own houses, the TCP Act does not allow building house on 50sqm land. The Act is made for the development of Himachal but Himachal cannot be compared with plain states. If anybody wants to make homestay or guesthouse in a village, TCP is
In a public hearing organized by town and country planning (TCP) sub-committee in Manali to know the public views, all the people opposed TCP rules being enforced in the village areas as the Act was not practical in congested villages with limited land. The Himachal government will organize public hearings in different parts of the
Kullu-Manali attracts over 35 lakh domestic and foreigner tourists annually and not all are fascinated by the mountains, glaciers and rivers of the valley – some of them visit the Himalayan valley in search of “Malana Cream”, the world’s best charas. Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal once said: “When I was giving my introduction to a representative of Israeli senate in an international conclave, he left me stunned with words that he has listened about Kasol in India where high class marijuana is available. He shared his thought that a large number of people in Israel after completing mandatory military services rush to Kasol in Kullu to relieve themselves by puffing marijuana.” Over 98% of the tourists visit the valley to enjoy nature and adventure sports. Still, some tourists are reported to have visited the valley only for charas. Such tourists prefer staying in remote villages for a long time period. Police, who don’t want to put a negative impact on the tourism, frequently lay nakas in such areas to search for the vehicles and pedestrians. As many as 161 foreigners have been booked under NDPS Act in last 15 years. The number of domestic tourists is even more. This doesn’t mean that all tourists visit Kullu-Manali for charas. Majority of tourists, both Indian and Foreigners, do not know that charas is produced in Kullu and is available here. Some people here say though charas put negative impact on youth but it is helping in rise in tourist footfall. A large number of local residents and politicians have been demanding to legalize cannabis cultivation, but fearing its misuse to make charas has forced lawmakers to make strict rules under NDPS Act. High on charas, foreigners bring notoriety to land of gods What attracts lakhs of backpackers from abroad to Kullu valley every
Kullu-Manali attracts over 35 lakh domestic and foreigner tourists annually and not all are fascinated by the mountains, glaciers and rivers of the valley – some of them visit the Himalayan valley in search of “Malana Cream”, the world’s best charas. Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal once said: “When I was giving my introduction
वन, परिवहन, युवा सेवाएं व खेल मंत्री गोविंद सिंह ठाकुर ने कहा कि रोहतांग दर्रा कुल्लू तथा लाहौल-स्पिति जिलों का ताज है और इसके वैभव को बनाए रखना अति आवश्यक है। उन्होंने कहा कि रोहतांग पर वर्ष में लगभग आठ महीनों तक बर्फ की एक बड़ी परत उपलब्ध रहती है, जो साहसिक गतिविधियों के लिए एक बेहतर माहौल प्रदान करती है। उन्होंने कहा कि हर वर्ष रोहतांग के दीदार को लाखों देशी व विदेशी सैलानी आते हैं जिससे यहां के पर्यटन को बढ़ावा मिलता है। गोविंद ठाकुर ने कहा कि यद्यपि प्रकृति ने रोहतांग को नैसर्गिक सौंदर्य से नवाजा है, लेकिन राज्य सरकार सैलानियों के लिए अतिरिक्त सुविधाओं के सृजन पर बल दे रही है। उन्होंने कहा कि रोहतांग दर्रे के आस-पास स्कीइंग, पैराग्लाईडिंग, स्नो स्कूटर आदि अनेक साहसिक गतिविधियों की संभावना मौजूद है और इसका समुचित दोहन किया जाएगा। उन्होंने कहा कि इससे पर्यटन को और पंख लगेंगे जिससे युवाओं को रोजगार के अवसर प्राप्त होंगे। वन व परिवहन मंत्री ने शुक्रवार को जनजातीय जिला लाहौल-स्पिति के दो दिवसीय प्रवास के उपरांत कुल्लू वापसी के दौरान रोहतांग, मढ़ी, गुलाबा और कोठी का दौरा किया। उन्होंने इन स्थानों पर ढांचागत विकास, पर्यटन और साहसिक खेल गतिविधियों की संभावनाओं का जायजा लिया तथा अधिकारियों को आवश्यक दिशा-निर्देश जारी किए। गोविंद सिंह ने कहा कि रोहतांग और इसके आस-पास के पर्यटक स्थलों के सौंदर्यीकरण तथा एनजीटी के निर्देशों की अनुपालना सुनिश्चित करने के लिए वन विभाग के माध्यम से विशेष कदम उठाए जा रहे हैं। गुलाबा में लगभग 45 लाख की लागत से नेचर पार्क विकसित किया जा रहा है। इसमें विभिन्न प्रजातियों के पेड़ लगाने के साथ-साथ पर्यटकों के लिए कई सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाई जाएंगी। यह पार्क कारगिल युद्ध के शहीदों को समर्पित किया जाएगा। नेचर पार्क सैलानियों तथा स्थानीय लोगों को अनेक सुविधाएं प्रदान करेगा। 12 हैक्टेयर में बनने वाले
वन, परिवहन, युवा सेवाएं व खेल मंत्री गोविंद सिंह ठाकुर ने कहा कि रोहतांग दर्रा कुल्लू तथा लाहौल-स्पिति जिलों का ताज है और इसके वैभव को बनाए रखना अति आवश्यक है। उन्होंने कहा कि रोहतांग पर वर्ष में लगभग आठ महीनों तक बर्फ की एक बड़ी परत उपलब्ध रहती है, जो साहसिक गतिविधियों के लिए
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
After witnessing a sudden surge in tourist footfall that left both hotels and roads choked in Manali last week, the hoteliers on Thursday said hotel occupancy has dropped to 60-70 per cent while traffic congestion too has finished in the tourist town. The long-weekend last week took toll on the infrastructure of Manali. As the maddening crowd and multiple traffic jams for hours that irked tourists have ended, the hoteliers said they are inviting tourists to Manali to enjoy cold and calm environment. The taxi fares too have come down to half of what was being charged until few days back. They said if tourists want to see the miracle of nature in the form of snowfall in mid-June, this is the right time to visit Manali. Manali Hoteliers’ Association president Anup Thakur said 30 to 40 per cent of the rooms in most hotels are empty. “We confess that tourists had to face some problems like traffic jams, non-availability of rooms, high taxi fare and room tariff. We assure tourists that things have improved now. The problem of traffic jams has almost gone due to better traffic management and spreading of tourist vehicles to other tourists attractions of the district like Hamta, Jana, Naggar and Manikaran,” he said. He added that rooms are easily available in hotels at reasonable price and buses from Delhi and Chandigarh are reaching Manali on time. “As many tourists are visiting Lahaul and Rohtang together, taxis for Rohtang pass are easily available. The taxi operators of Manali are charging fair price. The traffic at some points is moving very slow due to road construction works but we have got rid of hour-long jams starting from Kullu,” he added. Hoteliers said the availability of high mountains of snow at Rohtang pass has ensured prolonged tourism
After witnessing a sudden surge in tourist footfall that left both hotels and roads choked in Manali last week, the hoteliers on Thursday said hotel occupancy has dropped to 60-70 per cent while traffic congestion too has finished in the tourist town. The long-weekend last week took toll on the infrastructure of Manali. As the
माॅनसून पूर्व तैयारियों को लेकर जिला स्तरीय बैठक आयोजित जिले के किसी भी भाग में किसी भी प्रकार की आपदा से निपटने के लिए सभी विभागों को उपयुक्त तालमेल के साथ एक टीम की तरह कार्य करना चाहिए। आपदा के दौरान क्षति को कम करने तथा राहत व बचाव कार्यों में प्रत्येक विभाग और व्यक्ति का योगदान आवश्यक है। यह बात उपायुक्त ऋचा वर्मा ने आज यहां आयोजित माॅनसून पूर्व तैयारियों को लेकर जिला स्तरीय बैठक की अध्यक्षता करते हुए कही। उन्होंने कहा कि कुल्लू जिला अनेक प्रकार की आपदाओं की दृष्टि से संवेदनशील है और पहले से ही सभी विभागों को आवश्यक ऐहतियाती प्रबंध कर लेने चाहिए। ऋचा वर्मा ने कहा कि बहुत सारे ऐसे उपाय हैं जो अनेक आपदाओं को आने से रोक सकते हैं। इन छोटे-छोटे उपायों और आपदा प्रबंधन पर संबंधित विभागों को गहन अध्ययन की आवश्यकता है। उन्होंने कहा कि माॅनसून के दौरान ल्हासे गिरना अथवा भूःस्खलन जैसी समस्याएं अधिक रहती हैं। लोक निर्माण विभाग तथा राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग प्राधिकरण को सड़कों के आस-पास नालियों व पानी निकासी की समुचित व्यवस्था करनी चाहिए। उन्होंने संबंधित विभागों को आपदा की दृष्टि से जिले के संवेदनशील स्थलों को चिन्हित करके इसकी रिपोर्ट सौंपने को कहा। निर्बाध स्वच्छ पेयजल आपूर्ति सुनिश्चित करें आईपीएच उपायुक्त ने सिंचाई एवं जनस्वास्थ्य विभाग को जिले में गर्मियों के दौरान सभी भागों में स्वच्छ व निर्बाध जलापूर्ति सुनिश्चित बनाने को कहा। उन्होंने कहा कि पानी की कमी वाले क्षेत्रों में हैण्ड पंपों को तुरंत क्रियाशील बनाया जाए, ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में स्थानीय लोगों के सहयोग से पारम्परिक जल-स्त्रोतों बावड़ियों इत्यादि की सफाई करवाने की व्यवस्था की जाए। हालांकि अधीक्षण अभियंता ने बैठक में अवगत करवाया कि जिला में सभी पेयजल योजनाएं कार्य कर रही हैं और कहीं पर भी पानी की कमी नहीं है। अभी तक टैंकरों से पानी उपलब्ध करवाने की भी आवश्यकता नहीं पड़ी
माॅनसून पूर्व तैयारियों को लेकर जिला स्तरीय बैठक आयोजित जिले के किसी भी भाग में किसी भी प्रकार की आपदा से निपटने के लिए सभी विभागों को उपयुक्त तालमेल के साथ एक टीम की तरह कार्य करना चाहिए। आपदा के दौरान क्षति को कम करने तथा राहत व बचाव कार्यों में प्रत्येक विभाग और व्यक्ति
Rohtang pass, which was closed since December following winter snowfall, will open for tourists from June 1 as Kullu administration on Wednesday decided to throw open pass after ensuring safety and all necessary arrangements for lakhs of visitors. Lakhs of tourists from the country were waiting for the opening of Rohtang pass, the top tourist destination of Himachal Pradesh. Tourists will get a chance to have fun in 5 to 20ft of pure white snow. The peak summer tourist season in Himachal starts after the opening of Rohtang pass. Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus said Tourists can now go to Rohtang pass from June 1. “The road to pass was opened on May 19 but it will open for tourists from June 1. Tourists will have to obtain permit for their vehicle to be able to go to Rohtang pass. Following National Green Tribunal order, permits to 1,300 vehicles are being issued for each day. However, the pass will remain closed every Tuesday for maintenance purpose,” he said. Hoteliers, taxi operators, tourists and local residents were demanding to thrown open Rohtang pass as soon as possible. Opening of the road to Rohtang was delayed by about three weeks due to heavy snowfall this season. Since Border Roads Organization (BRO) cleared snow from Manali-Rohtang road, vehicles are plying through a deep gallery with high walls of snow on both sides. The narrow road can accommodate only one vehicle at a time. Allowing tourists would have jammed the pass completely. “We have deployed JCB to clear snow to make adequate parking space for tourist vehicles. This task is very difficult. Currently, tourists are being allowed till Marhi and Beas nullah where lakhs of tourists have already visited this season,” Yunus added. The taxi drivers are being given garbage bags which they will keep
Rohtang pass, which was closed since December following winter snowfall, will open for tourists from June 1 as Kullu administration on Wednesday decided to throw open pass after ensuring safety and all necessary arrangements for lakhs of visitors. Lakhs of tourists from the country were waiting for the opening of Rohtang pass, the top tourist
देश-विदेशों से कुल्लू-मनाली आने वाले हजारों पर्यटकों के लिए यह अच्छी खबर है कि अब वे बर्फीली चादर ओढे़ विश्व प्रसिद्ध रोहतांग दर्रे का दीदार कर सकेंगे। कुल्लू के उपायुक्त यूनुस ने रोहतांग दर्रे को पर्यटकों को खोलने के लिए अनुमति प्रदान कर दी है। अब एक जून से पर्यटक वाहन रोहतांग तक जा सकेंगे। यूनुस ने कहा कि राष्ट्रीय हरित अधिकरण एनजीटी के नियमों की पालना करते हुए रोहतांग दर्रे के लिए प्रतिदिन 1300 वाहनों को ही अनुमति प्रदान की जा सकती है। इसके लिए उन्हें आॅन लाईन परमिट प्राप्त करने की सुविधा उपलब्ध करवाई गई है। उन्होंने रोहतांग जाने के इच्छुक पर्यटकों व अन्य लोगों से आॅन-लाईन परमिट प्राप्त करने को कहा है ताकि उन्हें किसी प्रकार की असुविधा न हो। गौरतलब है कि रोहतांग दर्रा भारी बर्फबारी के चलते गत दिसम्बर माह में यातायात के लिए बंद हो गया था। इसे हाल ही में 19 मई को बहाल किया गया और अब पहली जून से इसे पर्यटकों के लिए भी खोल दिया जाएगा। उपायुक्त ने कहा कि जिले में पर्यटन सीजन चरम पर है। बर्फ के रोमांच का आनन्द लेने के लिए हर रोज देश के सभी भागों से तथा विदेशों से हजारों की संख्या में सैलानी आ रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि स्थानीय लोगों, सैलानियों, टैक्सी यूनियनों, होटल यूनियनों से हर रोज रोहतांग पर वाहनों की आवाजाही की अनुमति के लिए आग्रह पर रोहतांग दर्रें तथा सड़क के दोनों ओर बर्फ की मोटी परत को हटवाकर पार्किंग की व्यवस्था की गई है। इसके लिए सीमा सड़क संगठन ने युद्ध स्तर पर कार्य किया है। उन्होंने कहा कि रोहतांग बहाल होने के बाद बड़ी संख्या में वाहनों के लिए पार्किग की उपयुक्त व्यवस्था बनाना एक बड़ी चुनौती है, क्योंकि सड़क के दोनों ओर पर्याप्त जगह नहीं है। यूनुस ने बताया कि ब्यास नाला व मढ़ी तक यातायात पहले ही बहाल कर दिया
देश-विदेशों से कुल्लू-मनाली आने वाले हजारों पर्यटकों के लिए यह अच्छी खबर है कि अब वे बर्फीली चादर ओढे़ विश्व प्रसिद्ध रोहतांग दर्रे का दीदार कर सकेंगे। कुल्लू के उपायुक्त यूनुस ने रोहतांग दर्रे को पर्यटकों को खोलने के लिए अनुमति प्रदान कर दी है। अब एक जून से पर्यटक वाहन रोहतांग तक जा
After Kullu administration had established a check-post to regulate number of vehicles going to Rohtang pass at Gulaba in compliance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, another check post has been established at Kothi village, 14km from here to strictly adhere to the order. The administration is receiving many complaints about people crossing Gulaba barrier illegally. The fingers were raised at functionality of the check-post as the staff was allowing more than permissible number of vehicles. Manali administration also caught many vehicles red-handed and fined them heavily. As all vehicles are checked for permit at Gulaba, the slow processing speed here was resulting in over 5km-long jams. The new check-post at Kothi, 10km before Gulaba, will assist the Gulaba check-post and will stop the illegal entry of the vehicles. All the vehicles going to Marhi, Rohtang pass, Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti or Pangi will have to first show their permit at Kothi check-post. Those having a valid permit will be allowed to proceed to Gulaba. Manali sub-divisional magistrate Ashwani Kumar said the vehicles will be first stopped at Kothi barrier which will also help in controlling the traffic at Gulaba and till Rohtang. “I had called a meeting where officials from all the departments were present on Monday. We discussed on various issues including functionality of Gulaba check-post and traffic jams. The barrier established at Kothi has been made functional,” he said. Talking about illegal plying of vehicles in contempt of NGT order, Ashwani said the new check post will cross check the illegal entry of such vehicles and those not complying with order would not be spared. “We are strictly complying with NGT directives. We have warned people that if anything wrong is found, the offenders will be dealt with strictly. If anybody try to make us fool by disobeying tribunal
After Kullu administration had established a check-post to regulate number of vehicles going to Rohtang pass at Gulaba in compliance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, another check post has been established at Kothi village, 14km from here to strictly adhere to the order. The administration is receiving many complaints about people crossing Gulaba barrier
As the general elections have ended, tourists who gave a miss to hill stations in May have started to make a beeline to Manali to get respite from the scorching heat of the plains. The elections have badly hit the summer tourism of Himachal as hoteliers claim they have never seen such a poor business in May month. With elections ended and hills of Manali still experiencing fresh snowfall, hoteliers believe they see a good tourist crowd till the end of June. The tourist footfall is increasing gradually but most of the tourists are ending up stuck in traffic jams for hours. The charm of snow along Manali-Rohtang road is attracting tourists to Manali. A number of tourist vehicles entering Manali is increasing every day. But the long traffic jams at multiple places between Bhuntar and Marhi are ruining their holiday mood. While a one-way bridge at Dobhi has become the worst bottleneck, NHAI has failed to stop sliding of a small stretch at 16 Mile where sometimes vehicles are forced to wait for 1 to 2 hours for their turn. The traffic is moving at snail’s pace on Bhuntar-Ramshila stretch of the highway where road construction is continuing. It has become a routine to face traffic jams from Manali to Marhi, the snow point of Manali. The hoteliers say May and June are the months when lakhs of tourists throng Manali and most hotels remain occupied. They rue that not just elections but it is poor infrastructure that is irking the tourists and putting a negative impact on the tourism industry. Manali Hoteliers’ Association president Anup Ram Thakur said the condition of the road from Kiratpur (Punjab) to Manali is not good which is affecting the tourism. “Unscientific construction of four-lane highway without conducting proper study of the area
As the general elections have ended, tourists who gave a miss to hill stations in May have started to make a beeline to Manali to get respite from the scorching heat of the plains. The elections have badly hit the summer tourism of Himachal as hoteliers claim they have never seen such a poor business
