Tourists throng Himachal hills to ring in New Year

Despite the Met office predicting a dry New Year for Shimla, massive crowds continue to throng Himachal leading to traffic snarls.

Shimla Metrological Centre has predicted dry weather for next few days. “Weather is expected to be clear for next one week. The night temperature may decrease by few notches in a few parts of the state,” Shimla met centre director Manmohan Singh said on Saturday.

After Christmas rush in the hill state, which was witnessed despite snow eluding Shimla and other hill towns, heavy tourist inflow is now being seen in the capital town, Manali and Dharamsala.

Anticipating rush, the administration claims it has made all preparations. Shimla town has been divided into sectors to ensure smooth traffic.

The tourists, however, are disappointed due to the prediction of the meteorological centre of no snow for next few days.

Mohit Suri, a tourist from New Delhi said, “We were expecting snowfall on New Year, but bright sky here has disappointed us. There is no snow even in Kufri.”

“We were expecting white Christmas and now white New Year, but Met predictions have disappointed us,” said Aditya Misra of Lucknow.

A direction by the Shimla police said the town and its surrounding areas have been divided into seven sectors in which 500 personnel have been deployed to maintain security arrangements and to avoid any untoward incident. “Special parking arrangements have been made in restricted roads for the convenience of tourists,” said Shimla superintendent of police (SP) Soumya Sambasivan.

Shimla deputy commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur also claimed that all arrangements have been done to welcome tourists on New Year. “People can submit complaints in case of overcharging by taxis and hotels,” he said.

Shimla usually experiences a huge inflow of tourists on New Year’s eve. Many foreigners and tourists from across the country, specially bordering states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana are expected for celebrations in Shimla.

The hotels in Shimla are packed to capacity as a result of which the rates of rooms have increased. “We had earlier visited Shimla in July and paid ₹3,000 per day for one room. This time, the same room is available for ₹10,000,” said Amrita Katara, a tourist from Jodhpur.

Manali hotelier association president Gajender Thakur, meanwhile, said “Hotels are still receiving inquiries, but we do not have rooms to accommodate any more tourists.”