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
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 incessant rains in Kullu district have wreaked havoc as rivers are in flood, major roads and bridges are closed, people living close to rivers have started shifting to safe areas and landslides preventing people from going from one place to other. Both Manali-Rohtang-Leh and Manali-Chandigarh national highways are closed. A government school building at Palchan village has collapsed due to flood in Beas. A major bailey bridge at Akhara bazaar of Kullu that connects the Kullu town with left bank of Beas has been closed for traffic following Beas river damaged the approach road to the bridge.Two trucks and their drivers got stuck in the middle of the Beas at Patlikuhal near Manali after water level rose suddenly. Both, identified as Nand Kishor and Ravi, residents of Rajasthan, were rescued with the help of a rope and hydra crane.\n Traffic on Chandigarh-Manali national highway is stopped from Kullu and Mandi sides after a stretch of highway submerged near Duwada in Mandi district. While the buses and other heavy vehicles are stopped completely, light vehicles are being diverted to bypass road via Katola. A large number of buses, including tourist buses, are stopped at Bajaura. Police said the traffic will be resumed only after water level recedes and road becomes safe. The 38 Border Roads Task Force commander Col Uma Shankar said the Manali-Leh highway has also been blocked due to floods and landslides. “Massive landslides at Teling nullah and Pagal nullah in Lahaul have blocked the highway. We have cleared debris at Teling nullah but another slide has blocked it again. Machines are engaged to clear pagal nullah stretch. We have seen multiple landslides in 24 hours. We are working hard to resume traffic.” Chandigarh-Manali NH submerges near AutAll the water streams between Rohtang and Sarchu are in spate
The incessant rains in Kullu district have wreaked havoc as rivers are in flood, major roads and bridges are closed, people living close to rivers have started shifting to safe areas and landslides preventing people from going from one place to other. Both Manali-Rohtang-Leh and Manali-Chandigarh national highways are closed. A government school building at
Beas river, the lifeline and a major tourist attraction of Kullu, will see a facelift very soon as Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with help of Himalayan Forest Research Institute is working on rejuvenation and conservation of this beautiful and holy river. Hundreds of crores rupees would be spent for the rejuvenation of all the major river basins of Himachal on the lines of Namami Gange Project - National Mission for Clean Ganga. On the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to preserve the river basins, a detailed project report (DPR) for rejuvenation, conservation and development of Beas river basin would be prepared shortly. The Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), the nodal agency for the project in Himachal, has started to complete all the formalities for the purpose. In its first step, the department of forest has been made a nodal department for preparation of DPR. A meeting was held at the office of forest department (wildlife wing), Kullu, where officials from different departments and municipal council took part. Similar meetings will held in other districts as well. Conservator of forest, Anil Sharma, said involvement of all the departments, civic bodies and local residents would be ensured to prepare a perfect DPR. “We shall include all aspects of conservation of forest, water, flood control, plantation, agriculture, horticulture, livelihood of locals and overall development in the DPR. The project report should be based on local circumstances and should meet expectations of residents,” he said. Project coordinator Dr Vineet Jishtu said HFRI has been made nodal agency to prepare DPR for five main rivers of Himachal where forest department will work as nodal department. He adds, “These are not just rivers carrying the water. A whole civilization is dependent on a river. We expect valuable suggestions from maximum people for
Beas river, the lifeline and a major tourist attraction of Kullu, will see a facelift very soon as Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with help of Himalayan Forest Research Institute is working on rejuvenation and conservation of this beautiful and holy river. Hundreds of crores rupees would be spent for the rejuvenation of
The tourist places of Kullu Manali are clogged with garbage during summer tourist season as tourist crowd leaves behind tonnes of garbage. This time Kullu administration is not in mood to spare the litterbugs and has warned to impose a heavy fine on whoever throws garbage in open space. After National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked deputy commissioners of all districts of Himachal to ensure disposal of plastic waste from roadsides, rivers, nullahs and tourist places, Kullu administration has warned people of district to stop littering or face fine of upto Rs one lakh. The administration will run district wide campaigns to clean up garbage from rivers, their tributaries, towns and tourist places from May 3. As the district produces most garbage during summer tourist season in May and June, the officials have warned hoteliers, restaurant operators, shopkeepers and all residents that special surveillance teams are monitoring the entire district which will take action on litterbugs. Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus said civic bodies, panchayats, mahila mandals, yuvak mandals, NGOs and general public will take part in garbage cleanliness campaigns in entire district. “Our focus is on plastic garbage which not only will be collected but we shall dispose it off properly. We have taken the complaints of littering very seriously. We have provision of imposing fine up to Rs one lakh,” he said. Kullu-Manali produces tonnes of garbage every day during tourist season. Littering is the problem in all tourist places of Kullu. The officials of different departments have been directed to inspect tourist places frequently so that action could be taken against the offenders. Not just national highways, Beas river, its tributaries and towns but the villagers too would be challaned on the spot if they found throwing garbage in open spaces. The DC said dedicated teams have been constituted
The tourist places of Kullu Manali are clogged with garbage during summer tourist season as tourist crowd leaves behind tonnes of garbage. This time Kullu administration is not in mood to spare the litterbugs and has warned to impose a heavy fine on whoever throws garbage in open space. After National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked
MANALI: The banks of Beas river, which wreaks havoc with devastating floods during monsoon season every year and attracts tourists with its charm, would soon be channelized and beautified at a cost of Rs 585cr. The plan is to channelize nearly 70km stretch of the river from Palchan village near Manali till Aut in Mandi district. The flooded Beas changes its course every year and has occupied hundreds of bigha of agriculture and forest land. The concrete walls would be built to control the river and protect its banks. The project, which was estimated at Rs 1,300 crore, also includes beautification of the river for tourism purpose. Many viewpoints would be developed for tourists along the Chandigarh-Manali national highway. “Rs 585cr have been sanctioned by Centre in the first stage. The work will start very soon,” Forest minister Govind Singh Thakur said. He added that the work would be executed in well planned manner. “A committee would be formed for this. We shall not compromise with quality. We are planning to develop some viewpoints near the river where tourists can enjoy charm of the Beas without putting lives in danger.” Beas has caused damages worth crores of rupees to public and private properties. Many have lost lives and many tourists lured by Beas have also been drowned. Flood in Beas in September 2018 had damaged protection walls from Manali till Mandi and also damaged the highway at many places. Kullu was most affected district in state where Beas destroyed everything that came on its way. The concrete walls will control its flow and also promote the safe tourism in Kullu. After demand from public the project got principal approval from Himachal government. The project plan was initially drafted by Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune. The plan consists
MANALI: The banks of Beas river, which wreaks havoc with devastating floods during monsoon season every year and attracts tourists with its charm, would soon be channelized and beautified at a cost of Rs 585cr. The plan is to channelize nearly 70km stretch of the river from Palchan village near Manali till Aut in Mandi
KULLU: In an attempt to spread message of rivers and environment protection, Kullu administration on Tuesday late evening organized “maha aarti” of Beas (Vipasha) river in the presence of thousands of people. The bank of Beas river echoed with vedic mantras and religious folk music and illuminated with thousands of earthen lamps. The mantras were chanted by 121 Brahmins and music was played by over 200 musicians. The aarti started at 5:30pm after sacrificing a coconut and it ended at about 7pm after releasing of diyas into the flowing waters of Beas. The ceremony was organized by Kullu administration at Mohal village of Kullu with help of Devi Devta Pujari Sangh, Kardar Sangh, Bajantri Sangh and many other organizations. The purpose of the aarti is to sensitize people to protect holy Beas river and the environment. Beas, earlier known as Vipasha river, was so pure until few decades back when people used to drink its water. As water from many holy places meet with Beas, it was considered most auspicious river of Himachal where residents used to take holy dip. Now, very few people and palanquins of some deities take holy dip in the Beas. People are throwing garbage by its banks and its water has turned gray. “Hopefully Beas will get its sanctity and purity back. The event has been successful and large number of residents took part in it. Everything used in the ceremony was eco-friendly. We used earthen and wheat flour diyas that were released in the water. The plates were made of leaves. Such aarti is generally held by the bank of Ganga at Haridwar and Banaras. Beas is equally important river and I am sure people will cooperate with us in our mission to protect water and environment,” Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus said. The religious
KULLU: In an attempt to spread message of rivers and environment protection, Kullu administration on Tuesday late evening organized “maha aarti” of Beas (Vipasha) river in the presence of thousands of people. The bank of Beas river echoed with vedic mantras and religious folk music and illuminated with thousands of earthen lamps. The mantras were
With water of rivers flowing above the normal level, Kullu administration has sounded an alert to avoid the unnecessary movement near rivers while a complete ban has been imposed on river rafting. The incessant monsoon rains on mountains have raised the water level of Beas, Parbati, Sarvari, Manalsu, Allain and other rivers of the district. Given that sudden increase in water level could be fatal for thousands of tourists who are unfamiliar with mountain rivers, the administration has instructed people not to go near the rivers. Also, river rafting and other adventurous sports associated with rivers have been banned till September 15. Provisions of strict punishment and fine have been made for lawbreakers. As scores of adventure enthusiasts are coming Kullu-Manali every day, the ban on rafting was going to slash the adventure industry of the region badly. For river rafting paralyzed completely, more than 150 rafters will have to face huge losses. District tourism development officer Balbir Thakur said water level of rivers have climbed up abnormally due to monsoons, so imposing ban on river rafting is the only way to avoid danger to lives of tourists. “We shall keep an eye on the water level of rivers. If everything goes well, rafting would be resumed. But no one will be allowed to play with the lives of people,” he said. Thakur said the tourists and local residents have been alerted to stop unnecessary venturing close to the rivers. If anybody organizes the river rafting illegally, their license would be cancelled, he said.
With water of rivers flowing above the normal level, Kullu administration has sounded an alert to avoid the unnecessary movement near rivers while a complete ban has been imposed on river rafting. The incessant monsoon rains on mountains have raised the water level of Beas, Parbati, Sarvari, Manalsu, Allain and other rivers of the district.
Warm clothes are back in Manali. The heavy pre-monsoon showers have brought down the temperature at a single stroke on Saturday. High altitude peaks around Manali experienced nominal snowfall, while lower regions received heavy rain. With Manali-Leh highway receiving rainfall, the entire root has become slippery, bogey and dangerous. Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and most of the regions of the state experienced moderate rainfall providing relief from the scorching heat. The continuous showers have given rise to the water level of river Beas and Parbati. However no alerts have been issued but tourists were hesitating riding the river rafts as the sludgy water was terrible. Manali on Saturday recorded minimum temperature of 9 degree Celsius and maximum temperature was recorded at 19 degree Celsius. The weatherman has predicted more showers in coming 24 hours.
Warm clothes are back in Manali. The heavy pre-monsoon showers have brought down the temperature at a single stroke on Saturday. High altitude peaks around Manali experienced nominal snowfall, while lower regions received heavy rain. With Manali-Leh highway receiving rainfall, the entire root has become slippery, bogey and dangerous. Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and most of
