Page 2 - Shimla

SC sets aside NGT's order on Shimla Development Plan; BJP hails verdict

As the Supreme Court set aside the NGT curbs on Thursday, Bhardwaj said the people of Shimla were desperately counting on the apex court to rule in favour of sustainable development of the city

Shimla records 50-60% occupancy on New Year's Eve, 'lowest in 40 years'

Prediction of weekend snow and the chief minister's directions not to be harsh with drunk revelers on New Year failed to woo tourists to Shimla which recorded 50-60 per cent occupancy, "the lowest in the last 40 years". Last year, Shimla had recorded more than 80 per cent occupancy on New Year. The hotel and allied industries were pinning hopes on 'white New Year' but chances of snowfall appear very bleak. While, the Mall Road and The Ridge in the heart of the city are abuzz with tourists as winter carnival turned the place into a fair with lights and cultural bonanza being organised but tourist footfall has not converted in room occupancy in hotels, said Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association president M K Seth. The occupancy is about 50-60 per cent which is the lowest in the last 40 years and even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourist rush on New Year was more than this time, he told the PTI. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had directed to ..

150k tourists likely to be in Shimla for New Year's Eve; 200 cops deployed

Shimla is preparing for a tourist surge and traffic snarls on New Year's Eve and Shimla Police is taking measures to maintain traffic order and public safety

Nearly 100,000 tourists expected in Shimla for New Year, says Police

The Shimla SP further informed that the department is monitoring the traffic with CCTV and drone

Hotel demand surge in HP; record 28,210 vehicle cross Atal Tunnel in a day

The craze to visit Atal Tunnel propelled hotel occupancy in key hill resorts of Shimla, Manali to 90 per cent, as a record 28,210 vehicles crossed the Atal Tunnel on a single day on Sunday (December 24). After snowfall at Atal tunnel on Saturday, tourists made beeline to the tunnel and a record number of 28,210 vehicles crossed Atal Tunnel on Sunday, according to Lahaul and Spiti police on Monday. The hoteliers are upbeat as the local MeT office has predicted rain in mid hills and rain and snow in higher hills on December 30 and 31. The occupancy is around 90 per cent and the Manali Carnival from January 1 to 6, which would showcase local culture and cuisines, would boost tourist arrival in the year-end, said President of Federation of Himachal Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA) Gajender Thakur. "We welcome the tourists, who have come to the State in lakhs," said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding that Himachal has stood up again after the disaster to welcome th

Himachal CM dedicates newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel to people

The newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel, built at a cost of Rs 47.36 crore, was inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here on Monday. Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sukhu said the construction work of the 154.22-metre tunnel was going on at a snail's pace under the previous government in the hill state and the Congress government expedited it and the structure was completed within a year. The state government has directed all departments to ensure a time-bound completion of every project, Sukhu was quoted as saying in a statement issued here. The existing Dhalli tunnel, which was constructed in 1852, served as a single-lane passage and had surpassed its design life, causing persistent traffic congestion. With the inauguration of the new tunnel, these issues would be addressed. Tourism, a key industry in Himachal Pradesh, stands to benefit significantly from the improved connectivity. The tunnel, strategically positioned on th

Tata Power adds to EV charging infrastructure on Chandigarh-Shimla route

Tata Power on Tuesday said it has ramped up Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure on the Chandigarh-Shimla route to facilitate eco-friendly travel. The route connects two major cities -- Chandigarh and Shimla -- serving as a crucial link for travellers and businesses alike. "Tata Power, one of India's largest and leading EV charging solutions providers announced the activation of its EV charging infrastructure along the Chandigarh- Shimla highway, covering a total distance of 111 kms and addressing the demand for reliable charging options on this popular route," a company statement said. The strategically positioned charging stations at Hotel Falcon Crest on the Chandigarh-Shimla Highway around Kandaghat and The Oberoi Cecil, Chaura Maidan Road near Shimla, enhance the feasibility of EV travel on the route, as per the statement. The first charging point is 83 km from Chandigarh to Hotel Falcon Crest, and the other is 26 km from Hotel Falcon Crest to The Oberoi Cecil. Consu

Himachal govt plans to increase grip on Shimla, Kullu construction projects

The Himachal Pradesh State Cabinet in its meeting on Saturday gave its nod to bring more areas of Shimla, Chopal and Kullu under the planning area to check the haphazard construction in these areas.

Geotropy Iceland to set up Rs 8 cr CA store for apple growers in Kinnaur

Iceland-based company Geotropy Iceland would set up a controlled atmosphere (CA) store at Tapri in Kinnaur district on a pilot basis using innovative geothermal technology, benefitting local apple growers, officials said on Saturday. A pact was inked between the state government and the company in this regard, in the presence of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a statement issued here said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Managing Director of Horticultural Produce Marketing & Processing Corporation (HPMC), Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, and Chairman of the Geotropy Iceland, Thomas Ottohansson. The CA store would have a storage capacity of 1,000 tonnes and would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 8 crore. The state government would provide all possible assistance to the company for realising this project, as geothermal energy was a renewable source that minimises greenhouse gas emissions, the chief minister said.. The adoption of ...

With AQI below 50, Shimla attracts tourists from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi

While the AQI stood above 300 in at least 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi on Tuesday, Manali recorded the lowest AQI (6), followed by Kullu (7) and Dharamshala (15) on Wednesday

Himachal cabinet nods Rs 4,500 cr relief for affected families in Shimla

The state cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to a Rs 4,500 crore special relief package for the rain and landslide-affected families. The package was announced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on September 30. This special package has been granted for the period June 24-September 30 when the state was ravaged by rain and landslides. The compensation for a completely damaged house has been increased from Rs 1.30 lakh to 7 lakh while compensation for partially damaged house has been increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 1 lakh. The Cabinet in its meeting held here under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister also decided to provide two biswas of land in urban areas and three biswas of land in rural areas to people rendered homeless. Biswa is a unit of land measurement with 1 biswa equalling 1,350 square feet. Decision to promote "amateur" and community radios for alternate communication during emergency in all districts was also taken to provide effective information exchange between ..

Long weekend spurs hotel occupancy in Shimla to 70%, recovery begins

The long weekend from September 30 to October 2 recorded over 70 per cent occupancy in hotels here, marking the beginning of the revival of tourism in the state capital. "The situation is improving. The room occupancy went over 70 per cent this weekend. We are hopeful that the tourist rush will increase in the coming days with the Shimla flying festival a paragliding accuracy competition which is going to be held in Junga in the suburbs of Shimla from October 12 to 15," Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association President MK Seth told The PTI on Tuesday. He said the starting of flights between Shimla and Amritsar on November 1 would further boost tourist footfall. Seth said he wants to advertise Shimla as a "treasure" of tourism activities and has plans to set up facilities for water sports in Sunni and adventure sports in Kufri. The opening of roads and resumption of the train service on the UNESCO heritage Kalka-Shimla railway has opened the floodgates for booking ...

Tourism in Himachal's Shimla booms amid festive season and weekends

Bengali tourists, who typically visit Shimla during the Navratri festival have started arriving in the town

24 roads in 5 districts blocked due to rain-related incidents in Himachal

According to the data by the State Disaster Management Authority, "16 roads remain blocked in Lahaul-Spiti district, 4 in Shimla, 2 in Kullu and 1 each in Kangra and Kinnaur districts.

Himachal Transport Corporation suffers loss of over Rs 50 cr: Deputy CM

The Deputy Chief Minister was addressing the media in Shimla where he said that these losses also include the Rs 30 crore operational loss to the state

Himachal open for tourists, Dharamshala air services restored: Officials

Himachal Pradesh is now open for tourists with hoteliers in prominent travel destinations of the state offering lucrative discounts, officials said on Tuesday. Flight services of Alliance Air from Delhi to Shimla and further from Shimla to Dharamshala have been resumed, they added. Tourist resorts of Kasauli, Shimla, Chail, Narkanda, Kinnaur, Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Palampur, Dalhousie and Khajjiar have been reopened and roads to these destinations are safe to travel, Amit Kashyap, Director of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department informed in a statement issued here. Kashyap said tourists can avail of discounts in the current season in most of the hotels in the hill state. The recent spell of heavy rains during monsoon caused disruptions in travel in some road stretches, however, with efforts of the state government to restore the same on a war footing, tourists can now travel to Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and other districts, he added. The monsoon fury in the hill state during July

TMS Ep507: Brics expansion, disaster-prone Shimla, market direction & more

How will the Brics expansion affect India? Is Shimla the next Joshimath? What factors will guide markets this week? What is Brics? All answers here

IMD issues red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in HP for next 2 days

During the past 24 hours, Shimla recorded 190 mm of rain, and during one hour, it recorded 60 mm of rain in the morning, an official said

'Red' rain alert in HP, schools to be closed in Shimla, Mandi for 2 days

Rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday and the meteorological office here issued a red alert predicting "heavy to very heavy" rainfall with isolated spells of "extremely heavy" rains in eight of its 12 districts during the night. In view of the warning, Deputy Commissioners Aditya Negi of Shimla and Arindam Chaudhary of Mandi ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in their jurisdictions on Wednesday and Thursday. Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussian Sadiq said all educational institutions will remain closed on Wednesday. The red alert was issued in the evening for parts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Una districts as rains on Tuesday triggered some landslides in Mandi and hamirpur districts and uprooted trees in other areas. No casualties were reported in this fresh bout of rains, so far. Earlier this month, about 80 people died in rain-related incidents, including major landslides in Shimla. The Met also issued an orange al

Water saturation in soil, construction caused Shimla buildings to collapse

Falling in seismic zone IV and highly vulnerable to landslides, Shimla saw over 100 buildings suffering damage or collapsing during recent incessant rains, with experts attributing it to water saturation in soil, construction on drains, seepage and overburdening of hills. Himachal Pradesh received 752.1 mm of rainfall since the onset of Monsoon on June 24 till date against average rainfall of 730 mm during the whole Monsoon season from June to September, according to the Met department. About 46 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Shimla district in the ongoing Monsoon season and the losses in the district have touched Rs 1286 crore, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi said. Over 115 houses and buildings have been damaged. Keeping the safety of people in mind, over 100 endangered buildings including about 50 in Shimla have been vacated, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI on Tuesday. Overburdening of hills with construction coupled with ..