मनाली में पर्यटन कारोबार ने पकड़ी रफ्तार, पांच दिन में 15,000 से अधिक पर्यटक वाहन पहुंचे

सर्दी की दस्तक और पहाड़ों में बीते दिनों हुई ताजा बर्फबारी के बाद मनाली का पर्यटन कारोबार रफ्तार पकड़ने लगा है। पिछले पांच दिनों में मनाली में 15,000 से अधिक पर्यटक पहुंचे हैं। रोहतांग दर्रा समेत मनाली के पर्यटन स्थलों में रौनक बढ़ गई है। शाम होते ही मनाली मालरोड भी पर्यटकों से गुलजार होने लगा है। शनिवार को 654 पर्यटक वाहन रोहतांग पहुंचे। पांच दिनों में करीब 3,000 पर्यटक वाहनों में हजारों पर्यटक रोहतांग दर्रा पहुंचे और बर्फबारी का आनंद लिया। बर्फबारी के बाद रोहतांग दर्रा सैलानियों की पहली पसंद बन गया है। यहां गाड़ी से उतरकर पर्यटकों को आसानी से बर्फ देखने को मिल रही है। पर्यटक रोहतांग दर्रे के दीदार कर वापसी में कोकसर होते हुए अटल टनल के भी दीदार कर रहे हैं।

मंगलवार से ही पर्यटन कारोबार ने गति पकड़ ली थी। मंगलवार को 421, बुधवार को 578, वीरवार को 648 और शुक्रवार को 654, शनिवार को 654 पर्यटक वाहन परमिट लेकर रोहतांग दर्रे में पहुंचे। पर्यटकों की आमद बढ़ने से मनाली के सभी पर्यटन कारोबारियों को राहत मिली है। होटल 30 से 40 प्रतिशत कमरे पैक बताए जा रहे हैं। हालांकि छोटे होटलों की बुकिंग फिलहाल कम ही है। होटलियर एसोसिएशन के चीफ पेटर्न एवं फेडरेशन ऑफ होटल एंड रेस्टोरेंट एसोसिएशन के प्रदेश अध्यक्ष गजेंद्र ठाकुर ने कहा कि मनाली की रौनक बढ़ गई है। बुकिंग भी अच्छी चल रही है। इससे प्रतीत हो रहा है कि इस साल नव वर्ष सीजन भी अच्छा रहेगा। एसडीएम मनाली रमन शर्मा ने बताया कि पिछले कुछ दिनों से पर्यटकों की संख्या में बढ़ोतरी हुई है। उन्होंने बताया कि रोहतांग जाने वाले पर्यटक वाहनों की संख्या भी बढ़ी है। रोहतांग दर्रे में पर्यटकों की आवाजाही मौसम पर निर्भर रहेगी।

Himachal government to cut new tax on commercial tourist vehicles registered outside state, says CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the new tax on tourist buses registered outside the state will be reduced, amid opposition to the move by hoteliers and other tourism stakeholders.

The announcement came after a delegation of the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association met Sukhu and apprised him of the negative impact of the tax on tourism in the state.

From September 1, the Transport Department has imposed a tax of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per day on commercial vehicles registered in other states and running in Himachal Pradesh.

"The state government would reduce the Special Road Tax (SRT) and other taxes levied on tourist buses, tempo travellers and commercial tourist vehicles," an official statement quoted Sukhu as saying.

The government will also set up a tourist helpline to be linked with the existing helpline number 1100 and added that making a policy for homestays is also under consideration, he said.

The chief minister said the road infrastructure in the state is also being strengthened, besides air connectivity.

Work is underway to connect all districts with heliports. The government also plans to construct another heliport in Shimla to increase tourist footfalls, he said.

Sukhu said his focus is on increasing tourist footfalls to 5 crore per year and sought the participation and cooperation of all those associated with the tourism industry to make Himachal Pradesh "a green and a clean state".

During its meeting with the chief minister, the Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association delegation led by its president M K Seth, submitted a memorandum to him, claiming the new tax has forced tour operators in other states to drop Himachal Pradesh from their packages.

Group tourism plays a significant role in increasing tourist footfalls in the state. The maximum number of tourists come to Himachal Pradesh from Gujarat, West Bengal and Maharashtra between September and February in groups but the situation now is so grave that tour operators have dropped Himachal Pradesh from their packages, the memorandum stated.

This tourist traffic is being diverted to Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand as no such tax is levied by their governments, it said.

The tourism industry, which was in revival mode after the COVID-19 pandemic, crumbled again following the recent heavy rains, the association said, seeking deferment of 10 per cent annual increase in garbage and property taxes for the next five years.

The association claimed the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam (SJPN) is charging the highest water tariff from hotels, ranging from Rs 96.64 per kilolitre to Rs 177 per kilolitre.

The tariff charged in other cities is Rs 27.71 per kilolitre, it claimed, seeking Sukhu's intervention on the issue.

The association said a meeting of tourism stakeholders, including presidents of all tourism associations in the state, would be organised in Shimla in November to discuss the major issues of the industry.

The main objective of the meeting will be to prolong tourists' stay in the state and create a tourism-friendly atmosphere, thus increasing employment avenues, it said.

सीएम सुक्खू का बड़ा ऐलान, हिमाचल में पर्यटकों के वाहनों पर कम होगा टैक्स; शुरू होगी टूरिस्ट हेल्पलाइन

हिमाचल प्रदेश सरकार पर्यटक बसों, टेम्पो ट्रेवलर व वाणिज्यिक पर्यटक वाहनों पर लगने वाले विशेष पथ कर (एसआरटी) और अन्य करों को कम करेगी। एसआरटी के दृष्टिगत हाल ही में जारी की गई अधिसूचना को संशोधित करने पर सरकार गंभीरता से विचार कर रही है। मुख्यमंत्री सुखविंदर सिंह सुक्खू ने यह बात गुरुवार को ओक ओवर में शिमला होटल्स एंड टूरिज्म स्टेक होल्डर्स एसोसिएशन के प्रतिनिधिमंडल से भेंट के दौरान कही।

शुरू की जाएगी टूरिस्ट हेल्पलाइन

सीएम सुक्खू ने कहा कि सरकार शीघ्र ही होम-स्टे नीति लाने जा रही है। प्रदेश में पर्यटन अधोसंरचना को सुदृढ़ किया जा रहा है और सैलानियों की सुविधा के लिए ठोस कदम उठाए जा रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि पर्यटकों की सुविधा के लिए शीघ्र ही टूरिस्ट हेल्पलाइन भी शुरू की जाएगी और इसे 1100 हेल्पलाइन से जोड़ने पर भी विचार किया जाएगा।

सुखविंदर सिंह सुक्खू ने कहा कि प्रदेश में सड़क सम्पर्क के साथ-साथ हवाई सेवाएं भी सुदृढ़ की जा रही हैं। सभी जिलों को हेलीपोर्ट से जोड़ने का कार्य प्रगति पर है। उन्होंने कहा कि प्रदेश सरकार शिमला में एक और हेलीपोर्ट के निर्माण पर भी विचार कर रही है। पर्यटन अधोसंरचना को सुदृढ़ करने से ही राज्य में पर्यटन गतिविधियों का विस्तार होगा और प्रति वर्ष 5 करोड़ पर्यटकों की आमद का लक्ष्य पूर्ण हो पाएगा। उन्होंने कहा कि यह प्रयास किया जा रहा है कि प्रदेश के पर्यटन गंतव्यों में पर्यटकों का अधिक दिन तक ठहराव हो।

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि राज्य में पर्यटकों को वैश्विक स्तर की सुविधाएं प्रदान करने के लिए प्रदेश सरकार वचनबद्ध है। इसी दिशा में अनेक नवोन्मेषी पहल की जा रही हैं। प्रदेशवासियों और पर्यटकों को शुद्ध पेयजल उपलब्ध करवाने के लिए चरणबद्ध तरीके से यू.वी./अल्ट्रा फिल्ट्रेशन तकनीक का उपयोग किया जाएगा। 

कमरुनाग झील

कमरुनाग स्थानीय देवता मंदिर के कारण प्रसिद्ध है, जो मंडी जिले के मुख्य देवता हैं, कमरू घाटी के पर्वत की चोटी पर स्थित कमरुनाग का मंदिर, अण्डाकार आकार की झील है जो कमरुनाग झील के नाम से जानी जाती है। झील और मंदिर देवदार के पेड़ों से घिरे हैं। झील समुद्र तल से 3200 मीटर (लगभग) की औसत ऊंचाई पर स्थित है। कमरुनाग हिमालय पर्वतमाला के विशेष रूप से धौलाधार, पीर-पंजा पर्वतमाला और बलुआ घाटी का दृश्य प्रस्तुत करता है। यह स्थान ट्रेकिंग और कैम्पिंग के लिए आदर्श है।

कमरुनाग के लिए कोई सीधी सड़क नहीं है, यह केवल ट्रेकिंग द्वारा पहुंचा जा सकता है, निकटतम सड़क संपर्क रोहंडा में है जो मंडी से 55 KM और सुंदरनगर से 35 KM दूर है।

कमरुनाग में मेला: सरनाहुली मेला 14 जून से 16 जून तक हर साल झील के किनारे आयोजित किया जाता है, मंडी और हिमाचल के नजदीकी जिले के बहुत से लोग मेले में आते हैं, भक्त झील में सिक्के चढ़ाते हैं, ऐसा कहा जाता है कि झील में सिक्कों और धातुओं की मात्रा अज्ञात है।

मानव हस्तक्षेप के कारण कमरुनाग झील अपनी प्रकृतिवाद खो रही है, लोगों के सिक्के, फूल, मुद्रा नोट और अन्य सामान जो प्रदूषण फैलाने वाली झील हैं, पर्यावरण के बारे में सोचने के लिए अपना उच्च समय, पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करने की आवश्यकता है, इसकी तरह का अनुरोध, कृपया कोई भी फेंक न दें झील में आइटम और अन्य लोगों को भी ऐसा करने के लिए कहें, जो धार्मिक विश्वास को पर्यावरण से दूर रखने के लिए बेहतर है।

जलवायु:

कमरुनाग घाटी में पूरे साल बहुत ठंडी जलवायु होती है, सर्दियों और बारिश में बहुत भारी बर्फबारी कभी भी हो सकती है
सर्दियों में तापमान हिमांक से नीचे चला जाता है। कमरुनाग की यात्रा के लिए गर्मियों का सबसे अच्छा समय है और गर्म कपड़े लाने की सलाह दी जाती है क्योंकि मौसम यहाँ अप्रत्याशित है।

निवास:

चूंकि कमरुनाग के पास कोई सड़क संपर्क नहीं है, इसलिए दिन के उजाले में इस स्थान की यात्रा करना और वापस जाना बेहतर है, फिर भी रात के प्रवास के लिए मंदिर के पास कुछ सराय (सरैन) हैं, अन्य विकल्प झील के पास डेरा डाले हुए हैं।

भोजन: 

कृपया खाद्य पदार्थों को लाना सुनिश्चित करें क्योंकि यहां कुछ भी उपलब्ध नहीं है, लेकिन यदि आप स्थानीय मेले में घूमने जा रहे हैं, जो हर साल 14 से 16 जून तक आयोजित किया जाता है, तो अन्य दुकानों के साथ-साथ खाद्य स्टाल और मुफ्त लंगर (मुफ्त खाद्य पदार्थ) ) वहाँ पहुँच जाएगा।

साहसिक गतिविधियाँ:

कैम्पिंग और ट्रेकिंग मुख्य साहसिक गतिविधियाँ हैं और ट्रेकिंग और कैम्पिंग के लिए अच्छी संभावनाएँ हैं जो कामरू घाटी में साहसिक पर्यटकों की अधिक आवक ला सकते हैं।

कमरुनाग कैसे पहुंचे?

उपलब्ध ट्रेक विकल्प

रोहंडा से कमरुनाग ट्रेक की दूरी = 6 KM (2-3 घंटे का ट्रेक) - मुख्य मार्ग
सरोआ से कमरुनाग ट्रेक की दूरी = 8 KM
धनगर से कमरुनाग तक की दूरी = 10 कि.मी.
कमरुनाग से शिकारी देवी तक की दूरी = 16 कि.मी.

परिवहन:

कमरुनाग तक कोई सड़क संपर्क नहीं है, निकटतम सड़क रोहंडा में है जहाँ से कमरुनाग तक पहुँचने के लिए आपको 6 KM का ट्रेक करना पड़ता है, रोहांडा से कमरुनाग तक बहुत ही खड़ी और संकरी सड़क है, अगर आप शारीरिक रूप से स्वस्थ और सक्षम हैं तो कमरुनाग की यात्रा करना उचित है। अपने पैरों पर 10 KM से अधिक की यात्रा करें।

प्रमुख स्थानों से दूरी:

मंडी से रोहंडा: 55 कि.मी.
सुंदरनगर से रोहांडा: 30 किलोमीटर
मनाली से रोहांडा: 165 किलोमीटर
शिमला से रोहांडा: 148 किलोमीटर
चंडीगढ़ से रोहांडा: 208 किलोमीटर
आस-पास के आकर्षण:

सरोआ: सरोआ यहां से 15 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर चैल चौक के पास एक खूबसूरत जगह है और मंडी से 45 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर है, जो पहाड़ के रिज पर समुद्र तल से 2230 मीटर की ऊंचाई पर है।

देवीगढ़: देवीगढ़ एक छोटा सा गाँव है और चैलचौक के ऊपर जौनी घाटी में घने देवदार के जंगल में खूबसूरत जगह है।

रेवाल्सर झील: जिसे त्सो पेमा लोटस झील के नाम से भी जाना जाता है, मंडी से दक्षिण-पश्चिम में 22.5 किमी दूर स्थित है। इसे हिंदुओं, सिखों और बौद्धों के लिए एक पवित्र स्थान के रूप में रखा जाता है।

जंजैहली: जंजैहली देवदार के जंगलों और पहाड़ों से घिरा हुआ है, जो साहसिक गतिविधियों जैसे रात की सफारी, लंबी पैदल यात्रा, ट्रैकिंग और पर्वतारोहण के लिए सबसे अच्छी जगह है।

बड़ौत: 33 किमी की दूरी पर स्थित एक अच्छा पिकनिक स्थल। मंडी से मंडी - पठानकोट हाईवे पर। यह ट्राउट मछली पकड़ने और एक रोपवे के लिए प्रसिद्ध है जो पर्यटकों को आकर्षित करता है।



सुझाव:

• होटल / अतिथि गृहों को उपरोक्त संख्याओं से पूर्व के आधार पर बुक करें क्योंकि कई आगंतुकों या पीक सीज़न (अप्रैल - अगस्त लगभग) के कारण कमरा उपलब्ध नहीं हो सकता है।
• सर्दियों में टूटे हुए पानी के पाइपों के कारण पानी की कमी हो सकती है, जिससे तापमान में गिरावट हो सकती है, इसलिए अपने साथ कुछ पीने योग्य पानी की बोतलें ले जाएं।
• पर्याप्त पेट्रोल @ एनएच के साथ अपने ईंधन टैंक भरें, क्योंकि पहाड़ी क्षेत्र में कोई पेट्रोल पंप नहीं है।
• पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों का दौरा करते समय, कृपया गर्म कपड़े पैक करें और प्राथमिक चिकित्सा किट ले जाएँ।

Chief Minister stresses upon maintaining hygiene in Kufri

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stressed for maintaining hygiene in Kufri, the famous tourist destination, near Shimla and asked to check the rise in number of horses which were responsible for the untidiness likely to affect the tourism.

CM presiding over the 145th Meeting of Board of Directors (BoD) of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation

He was presiding over the 145th Meeting of Board of Directors (BoD) of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation here (HPTDC) today. He said that the entire patch of  Chini Bunglow at  Kufri stinks which makes it impossible for the pedestrians to pass through.
He also hinted to develop the Ski Slopes at Narkanda and carry out the modalities of setting up the Ski-lift at the earliest as a token amount had been also released.
It was detailed in the meeting that the land for reviving Hot Springs at Tattapani  has been identified and even the Kol Dam authorities were willing to provide No Objection Certificate and also the financial assistance to revive the Sulphur Springs which were submerged in Kol Dam waters.
The department was told to prepare a roadmap as to how many employees of the Corporation were going to retire in the next two years and work out for rationalisation process in this regard. It was informed that as many as 100 utility workers would be employed in the Corporation and many more through Limited Direct Recruitment (LDR) process. The Chief Minister also urged to have a re-look into the administrative set up of the corporation before rationalisation.
It was also discussed to recruit management trainees.
The Corporation earned a revenue of Rs 8889.12 lakhs and had operational profit of RS 262.85 lakhs with net profit to Rs 50.48 lakhs for the year 2015-16. The turnover of the Corporation increased by 0.26 percent whereas expenses have decreased to 0.17 percent.
Managing Director HPTDC, Dinesh Malhotra said that the process of recruitment of Utility Workers had been started and the posts were being filled after observing all the codal formalities. He informed that the HPTDC had done online bookings of its properties worth Rs 20 crore whereas the sales agents disappointed by doing bookings amounting to Rs 98 lakh only.
Stress was laid upon to prepare a comprehensive action plan to convert the loss making units into profit earning ones. Consensus was reached upon to construct a Banquet Hall at the rear of Cafe Shivalik at Parwanoo.
The need based re-allocation of staff working in Transport Wing and adjustment of staff of dying cadre was also discussed upon
The BoD approved to provide one time relaxation in minimum qualification services for filling up the posts of Deputy General Manager.
Vice-Chairman HPTDC, Harish Janartha poured in some valuable suggestions to boost up the income of the Corporation. He suggested for strengthening the online booking system of the Corporation Buses.
Virendar Dharmani, Surinder Sethi, Rupesh Kanwal, Amarjit Singh, Karan Nanda, Vijay Inder,  Chief Secretary VC Pharka, Additional Chief Secretary, Dr. Srikant Baldi, Secretary Tourism Mohan Chauhan were also present in the meeting besides other senior officers of the Corporation.

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Barnes Court, Shimla

( Now called as Raj Bhavan )

The (Barnes Court) Raj Bhavan of Shimla is located in the city of Chota Shimla. The (Barnes Court) Raj Bhavan happens to be the dwelling place of the Governor of the state of Himachal Pradesh. The Raj Bhavan of Shimla was originally called the Barnes Court in the name of Sir Edward Barnes who was the then commander-in-chief.
This heritage building of Shimla has got a big spacious interior with a ball dancing room. Lord Napier of Magdala, Sir Colin Campbell and Sir Hugh Rose once used to be the residents of the Raj Bhavan of Shimla. The Shimla Raj Bhavan (Barnes Court) bears the typical English country like architectural style.
The Shimla Peace Accord of 1972 that took place between Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was executed in this building by which both the countries agreed to rule out disputes through bilateral understanding.
This prestigious building of Raj Bhavan (Barnes Court) can only be visited with prior permission from the Secretariat of the Governor of Shimla. Shimla is a hill resort that is an ideal tourist destination. As such, the places in and around Shimla are Shimla's wealth.
The Raj Bhavan (Barnes Court) being a heritage site have also a major attraction to the tourists. The building has been very well maintained by the government of Himachal Pradesh. The Raj Bhavan (Barnes Court) of Shimla still holds the glory and charm of the bygone days. The walls of the Raj Bhavan (Barnes Court) of Shimla still reverberates with the tinkling of fine cutlery of the British Raj.

History of Barnes Court

Located on the Southern most point of notified Heritage Zone, Barnes Court has a commanding and sunny sitting, over-looking the hills and forested area towards south from here. It abuts thick forest towards the east and Civil Secretariat Complex on the West. It is a historical and architectural masterpiece.
                                    Though it is not traceable from any official  or Municipal record  that which Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, first lived in “ Barnes Court”, yet the list of Commanders- in – Chief indicates that it was occupied by Sir Edward Barnes in  1832. After a break, from 1849 to 1864, it was again the residence of  various British Commanders-in- Chief, General Napier, General Gomm, General Anson, General Campbell and General Rose. It was  here that the news of the Great Uprising of 1857 was given to General Anson.
                                    The permission to construct earliest portion of the estate, measuring 200 square yards, was granted by Captain C.J. Kennedy, Principal Assistant  to the Political Agent at Delhi to Dr. J. Ludlow on the 1st January, 1830, subject to a ground tax of Rs.40/- per annum.
                                    On the 1st May, 1832, an adjoining piece of land measuring 50 square yards was granted by the Principal Assistant to Mr. McDermott of the Adjutant- General’s office, subject to a ground tax of Rs.10/- per annum and sanction for felling of trees was also  accorded.
                                    The right and title of this plot of land seems to have been also secured by Sir Edward Barnes, who in the same  year was permitted to take up at an annual rent of Rs. 40/-. The whole estate, subsequently fell into the hands of the late Major S.B. Goad, who, on the 15th of May,1875, sold it to  Major- General Sir Peter Lumsden late Quartermaster-General in India, for Rs.23,000/- only.
                                    The Punjab Government on 11th April,1878, asked for permission to purchase “Barnes Court”, as an official residence for the Lieutenant- Governor, Sir Robert Egerton, who first  went regularly into residence at Barnes Court in 1879. Earlier it was a single storey  structure with slate roofing on the top. The new structure was built during 1879-1886 at a cost of Rs. 3,02,257/- only.
                                    The official description of the property when this purchase was effected by the Punjab Government was – “ Barnes Court is a partly single and partly double-storeyed building, facing west and south , the principal entrance being on the latter side. The building is so arranged as to have a good view on three sides, viz., on the west, south and east. The front of the house being raised on a masonry  terrace flanked at both end with a masonry sentry box. There is a level lawn to the west of the  house between it and the hill. The ground is of very considerable extent running out in a kind of arm for about half a mile on the south-east of Jakhu, and a good distance up the hill side.” This description practically holds good to the present day.            
Extensive improvements have been made from time to time to the property. The principal  addition is a double-storeyed building erected during the Lieutenant -Governorship of Sir C.U. Aitchison, the lower storey being a ball room, and the upper rooms, the offices of the Lieutenant-Governor and his Private Secretary. The ball room is charmingly decorated and painted in eastern ‘ Moorish’ style, this work having been  supervised by Mr. Lockwood Kipling, for many years, the Principal of the  Mayo School of Art, Lahore.
                                    Lady Ibbeston, Lady Dane and Lady O’ Dwyer assisted by their daughters, in years gone by, were all popular hostesses at Barnes Court and  Lady Maclagan also worthily  upheld the traditions of the house. The Governor Sir Malcolm Hailey and Lady Hailey have effected several further garden improvements.
                                    The grounds and gardens are particularly charming and today the house is more like an old English country house than any other in Shimla. Considerable improvements too were made at Barnes Court during the residence of Sir Louis Dane including the construction of a new wing and the cutting away of the hill side opposite one of the entrances.
                                    It acted as summer Raj Bhawan of Punjab  upto 1966. After reorganization, when Simla was allotted to Himachal Pradesh, it was converted into a State Guest. In the late seventies, it was converted into a State Guest House-cum-Tourist Bungalow  for some time.
                                    In August,1972, after the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, Shimla Agreement was signed by Smt. Indira Gandhi and Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Ministers of two countries. The main drawing room alongwith its table and chairs on which ‘Simla Agreement’ was signed have been preserved.
                                    As Peter Hoff was gutted in fire in 1981, Raj Bhavan housed therein was shifted to this building. On reconstruction of Peter Hoff, Raj Bhavan was shifted back to its new building in 1993. However, as it was too spacious for Raj Bhavan, it was again shifted back to Barnes Court building.         
MAGNIFICENT SITE PLANNING
                        The Barnes Court Complex has an area of 9647 Square Meters as per Tatima-2007 and Jambandi for the year 2002-2003.
                                    This complex consists of main two storeyed building housing office and residence of H.E. the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Besides offices of the Secretary and ADC to the  Governor  of Himachal Pradesh, library, guest rooms, dressing room, servant rooms, store, VVIPs bed rooms with attached sitting and dressing rooms and personal sitting room, pantry, dinning room and billiards rooms are also existing in it .
                                    The Summit Hall at ground floor named as ‘Kirtikaksh’  has historic significance as the famous Simla Agreement  between India and Pakistan was signed here on 3rd July,1972 by the then Prime Ministers of  India and Pakistan. The Darbar Hall at ground floor, earlier used as dancing hall, is now used for oath taking  ceremonies of the Governor/Chief Minister/Chief Justice & Judges of the High Court/Chairmen/Members of various boards/Corpns..
                                    The two storeyed building conforming to the hill architecture with panoramic view  on all sides is an unique example of site planning of British era.
AN  ARCHITECTURAL  SAGA
                                    The Barnes Court building has been constructed in  ‘ Tudor’ style of architecture. The  doors and windows are made of teak wood. The bay windows projected outside are covered with CGI sheet roofing and the same  give a  pleasant look. There is central heating system. The ground and first floors are well connected with internal staircase. There is also a lift inside which can be used in the event of fire. The walls have been plastered in mud mortar and painted in white. The paint on the walls of Ball Room at ground floor is of eastern ‘Moorish’ style.
                                    The office of H.E. the Governor is at first floor towards west and that of Secretary to Governor is at ground floor below the Governor’s office.
AN  ENGINEERING  FEAT
                                    This two storeyed building has stone masonry foundation. The load bearing walls in super-structure are made of  Dhaji. They are built in traditional mud and wooden posts. The slab on ground floor is made of wooden planks supported with wooden rafters. The wooden slab over Durbar Hall in ground floor is supported with wooden bracings. The walls have wooden paneling inside.
                                    The Governor’s office is made of Brick masonry at first floor with wooden flooring  supported by steel joists. The C.G.I. sheet roofing is laid on the building. There is false wooden ceiling which has beautifully been carved.

List of Forts located in Himachal

Distt. Chamba

1. Taragarh Fort, Taravas, near Nurpur, Tehsil Bhatiyat
2. Ganeshgarh Fort, Near Shapur-16 Km., Tehsil Sihunta

Distt. Kangra

1. Nurpur Fort, Nurpur
2. Kotla Fort, Shahpur Kotla Tehsil Shahpur
3. Haripur Fort, Haripur, Tehsil Dehra
4. Vijaypur Fort, Tehsil JaiSinghpur, Palampur
5. Pathiar Fort, Tehsil Kangra
6. Mankot Fort, Tehsil Nurpur
7. Siba Fort, Tehsil Jaswan-Kotla
8. Jawali Fort, Tehsil Jawali
9. Mastgarh Fort, Tehsil Nurpur
10. Mangarh, Tehsil Dehra
11. Ratngarh,
12. Mao Fort (vanished) Near Kandwal Barrier, Tehsil Nurpur

Distt. Hamirpur

1. Sujanpur Fort, Sujanpur
2. Mahal Morian-Tal Fort, Tehsil Bhoranj

Distt. Mandi

1. Kamlah Fort, Tehsil Dharamapur,
2. Pangna Fort, Tehsil Pangna, Karsog
3. Anantpur Fort

Distt. Kullu

1. Chehni Kothi, Tehsil Banjar
2. Manali Garh, Tehsil Manali
3. Raghupurgarh, Near Jalori Pass, Tehsil Ani
4. Nagar Castle, Naggar, Tehsil Kullu
5. Mangarh, Banjar
6. Talyara kothi, Tehsil Sainj, Banjar

Distt. Lahaul-Spiti

1. Gondhla Fort, Tehsil Keylong
2. Khangsar Fort, Tehsil Keylong

Distt. Kinnaur

1. Labrang Fort, Tehsil Pooh
2. Kamru Fort, Tehsil Sangla
3. Murang Fort, Tehsil Pooh
4. Sapani Fort, Tehsil Sangla

Distt. Shimla

1. Mahasugarh, Tehsil Jubbal
2. Samarkot, Tehsil Rohru
3. Chaupal Fort, Chaupal town

Distt. Sirmaur

1. Ghanduri Fortress, Tehsil Rajgarh
2. Sirmauri Tal, Tehsil Paonta
3. Jaitik Fort, Nahan
4. Mangarh Fort, Tehsil Pachhad
5. Haripur Fort, Haripur Dhar
6. Chanderi Fortress, Chanderi, Chandpur, Tehsil Shilai

Distt. Solan

1. Malaun Fort (Hindur), Tehsil Nalagarh
2. Dharon ki Dhar Fort, Solan
3. Banasar Fort, Tehsil Kasuali
4. Nalagarh Fort (Hindur), Nalagarh
5. Ramshahar Fort,Ramshahar town

Distt. Una

1. Solasingi Fort, Tehsil Bangana

Distt. Bilaspur

1. Bachhretu Fort, near Shahtalai, Tehsil Ghumarwin
2. Baseh Fort, Jhanduta, Tehsil Ghumarwin
3. Tiyun & Sriyun Forts near Ghumarwin
4. Bahadurgarh, Tehsil Bilaspur
5. Ratanpur, near Nauni, & opposite to Malaun Fort
6. Kotkehloor Fort, Kotkehloor, Tehsil Naina Devi

Special trains on Kalka-Shimla railway line to meet tourist rush

Two holiday special trains started on Friday on Kalka-Shimla rail line to meet the tourist rush, an official said.
“The additional trains will run to and fro daily on the Kalka-Shimla line. These trains would cater to the tourist rush ahead of Christmas and New Year’s eve,” a railway official told IANS.
One of the trains is 14-seater rail that starts from Kalka town at 6.40 am and arrives in Shimla at 11.40 am, the official said.
It will start return journey at 2.00 pm from Shimla and reach Kalka at 6.20 pm.
Likewise, a five-coach holiday special train starts journey from Kalka at 7.00 am and arrives in Shimla at 12.10 pm. The train will start return journey at 3.50 pm and reach Kalka at 9.10 pm.
Five trains run to and from on Kalka-Shimla rail line. Normally a train takes five hours to complete the journey.
The Kalka-Shimla rail track was built by the British in 1903 to ferry Europeans to and from this hill town, the erstwhile summer capital of British India.
It was chosen by Unesco as a world heritage site in 2008.

ADB sanctions Rs. 382 crore for tourism Infrastructure: CM

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that Asian Development Bank had sanctioned a loan of Rs. 382 crore for up-gradation and improvement of Tourism Infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh.

The tripartite loan signing ceremony was performed by V.C Pharka, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism HP, in the Dept of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India in New Delhi, yesterday. On behalf of Asian Development Bank the loan agreement was signed by M. Teresa Kho, the Country Director, Asian Development Bank  and on behalf of Govt. of India  by Rajkumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance.  Commissioner Tourism Mohan Chauhan and Project Director Manoj Sharma were also present on this occasion.

It would be pertinent to mention here that this would give impetus to the Tourism infrastructure in the State. The State Tourism Department has completed all pre loan  signing formalities like awarding 30% total cost of projects in advance, placement of Asian Development Bank consultants in place to  execute the projects.  Tranche III would be completed by 2020 and 15 sub-projects have been proposed under this tranche.  At present 1.63 crores tourists were visiting the State annually. The implementation of this project would enhance the tourist flow to the State thereby benefiting local tourism industry.

The Main projects prepared under this tranche are rehabilitation and beautification of about 10.5 kms portion of Mall Road, Cultural Center, Manali, Rehabilitation of parks in Mandi town,  Jwalaji, Dharamsala, Chamba etc

Himachal to hold apple fests

Shimla, Sep 3. To promote tourism in the State, the department of Tourism & Civil Aviation in association with the Horticulture department will organise Apple Festival at Manali in Kullu district on 6th and 7th September 2005 and at Shimla on 12th and 13th September, 2015, a spokesman of Tourism department said here today.

The main attraction will be exhibition of variety of apples grown in the State, food products, comprising dishes made from apples and entertainment programmes, he said. He said that varieties of the delicious fruit will be on show for tourists during the course of the festival,

The spokesman said the festival at Manali would be organized at Manu Rangshala where about 20 stalls would be displayed there in the exhibition and few food product stalls would be installed near HPTDC hotel Manali.  He said that the exhibition of apples, apple products and exotic vegetables would be displayed at the Ridge and food product stall would be at Padam Dev Complex in Shimla.

Besides organizing exhibitions of various kinds, painting competition of school children will also be organized at Gaiety Theatre, Shimla on 11th September which will be displayed till 12th September. The State Tourism Department is also planning to take tourists in the vicinity of Shimla in coordination with Horticulture department to attract the tourists in the State through apple industry.

Tourism activities to be promoted in Kullu district

With a view to add more attractions and activities for the tourists visiting the Kullu district, the State Government would promote water sports activities in the district besides identifying number of angling places. The government will also give permission to the private organization or individuals interested in shooting water sports activities provided their equipments matches international standards.

Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh said this while addressing a public meeting at Larji in Banjar constituency of Kullu district today.

 “Any mishap or loss of life or property due to water or adventure sports does not means that such sports should be completely, however, the agencies conducting such games must have adequate safety equipments, matching the International norms”, said the Chief Minister.

 He said that the Kullu valley had enough tourism potential and various adventure or water-sports needed to be promoted. He said it was our moral duty to protect the ancient temples of the State as these were our cultural and traditional heritage. He assured to re-construct the temple at Shanghar which was razed to ground in the traditional style and architect and the entire expenditure would be borne by the government. He directed the deputy commissioner to ensure that the temple was re-constructed in old traditional architect at the earliest.

He said that there was a need to strengthen the fire stations in the State. He said that adequate paraphernalia required for running of the Larji fire station would be provided along with the men power and latest equipments.

He said that he had traversed through- out the Banjar constituency and though a lot of development had taken place in the area however, more developmental projects would be taken up to benefit the people of  far-flung areas of the constituency.

The Chief Minister said that the State government had opened various colleges in the State and particularly in far-flung areas which would particularly help girl students in getting higher education at their door-steps.

Mr Virbhadra Singh assured that the matter regarding opening of Sub Judge Court in Banjar would be taken up with the Chief Justice of High Court.

 He announced college for Sainj  to be started from the next academic session.  He also assured to fulfill the demands regarding upgradation of various schools from next academic session provided they had enough strength.



Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of bridge over river Beas to connect Panarasa with Thrass. The bridge would cost Rs. 5.15 crore and will benefit the population of around 3500. He also operationalised Fire Station at Larji.

Local MLA, Mr Karan Singh thanked the Chief Minister for opening fire station at Larji which was a long pending demand of the people of the area and it would provide much relief to the people of the area. He demanded electric  division and PWD division at Banjar,  besides degree college and upgradation of many schools. He also urged for upgradation of Banjar hospital besides staff for community health centre (CHC)  at Sainj.

State Youth Congress President, Mr Vikramaditya Singh said that efforts were afoot to find employment avenues to youth through ‘Rozgar Melas’. He said that recently 450 youth were provided jobs through ‘Rozgar Mela’ held at Jogindernagar. He said that food processing industries, Fisheries, sericulture, pisciculture needed to be strengthened so as to create more employment avenues for the youth.

He said that the Youth Congress was going to organise ‘Kissan Satyagraha’ soon throughout the State and thereafter conducting state level function next month to protest against the Land Ordinance Bill of Centre Government.

Chairman, Zila Parishad Kullu, Mr Hari Chand Sharma, thanked Chief Minister for dedicating various development projects  in the area and making  fire station at Larji operationalised.

President Block Congress Committee Mr Jai Bihari Lal Thakur and BCC General Secretary, Mr Moti Ram Palsra also welcomed the Chief Minister on the occasion.

APMC Chairman, Mr Upendar Kant Mishra, Chairperson, Panchayat Samiti, Banjar, Smt. Prabha Palsra, Vice-President Mahila Congress Kullu Smt. Sharda Katoch, President, Drang Mahila Congress Committee, Smt. Sarju Devi, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Mr Rakesh Kanwar were also present on the occasion amongst others.

History of Shimla in photos

Chief Minister directs for early completion of HPTDC projects

The Board of Director, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Corporation (HPTDC) in its meeting held here today decided for amendment in R&P Rules to provide 35% quota for promotion of utility workers in sub-discipline of Kitchen, House keeping and Food and Beverage (F&B) of the catering discipline having five years of regular service on the basis of seniority and merit and to fill posts of trainee cooks, trainee housekeeping, trainee reception from within the remaining in-house cadre.

The meeting was presided over by the Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh.

He suggested for categorization of the posts to benefit the utility workers.

It was disclosed that an ‘Axisrooms’ Channel Manager has been selected for distributing room inventory to online travel agents for online booking of the HPTDC hotels. The work for development of the web services for integration of HPTDC properties with the M/s Axisrooms has been started and soon software would be developed for integration process of HPTDC.

 A decision was taken to hire some professional agency for maintaining gardens and lawns of various units of HPTDC and to further train the existing gardeners.

The Chief Minister directed for early completion of projects of the Corporation. It was also decided to wait for the State geologist report before beginning the construction work of Hotel at Manikaran in district Kullu.

The Board decided to take steps to take possession of Hotel Mandav in Mandi and after going through minor repair and renovation works it should made operational.  

The Board was apprised that for constructing a hotel at Una, a letter has been sent to concerned Deputy Commissioner for selecting a suitable land for the purpose so that the work may be carried out soon.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Shri Mansa Ram, Vice-Chairman HPTDC Shri Harish Janartha, Additional Chief secretary, Shri V.C.Pharka, Director, Tourism Shri Mohan Chauhan, Members Board  of Directors, HPTDC Advocate Virendar Dharmani, Shri Surinder Sethi, Shri Gopal Krishan Mahant, Shri Rupesh Kanwal, Shri Amarjeet Singh, Shri Vijayinder were also present on the occasion amongst other officers of the department.

Kalka-Shimla rail line to get additional coach for high-end inbound tourists

World Heritage Kalka-Shimla rail line will have another attraction. The Indian Railways is all set to introduce a special ‘Jharokha’ coach open from the front and the rear. The first of a kind in India, the coach will be attached to the train on demand only. While railway authorities are adding new attractions to the 97-km track, the Himachal Pradesh government has demanded fresh survey of tunnels and bridges on the track to assess their strength for the safety of passengers.
Sources in the railway department said, "It is fitted with eight luxury seats along with small tables. For a better view, the coach is open from the sides. It is a one of a kind coach introduced in the country."
The popularity of rail journey on the 97-km heritage track, having 917 sharp curves besides 102 tunnels and 988 bridges, could be known from the fact that during holidays, Northern Railways is forced to run special holiday trains on the narrow gauge to cater to the high demand, The Times of India reported.
Sources said during peak tourist season, rail cars were much in demand as small groups of high-spending tourists, especially foreigners, preferred to have special coaches for their upward journey to Shimla. "The new coach has been introduced with the aim to serve the needs of high-end tourists," they added.
Vinay Kumar Arora, Superintendent, Kalka Railway Station, said that though the new coach has been built, it has not been put in service. He said its trial run was conducted during the visit of the world heritage team. "Once charges are fixed, the new coach will be made available on demand and attached to the regular trains," he added.
This is not the first time that railway authorities have planned to add an attraction to the Kalka-Shimla track. Earlier, a proposal was mooted to have a special coach for children with popular cartoon character painted on them, but the idea failed to take off, sources said.

100-year-old steam engine runs on Shimla heritage track

Shimla on Wednesday witnessed running of a 100-year-old steam engine on a heritage track along a short 1km stretch between the railway station and the bus stand.

Shimla residents and tourists were thrilled to see the only existing narrow gauge vintage KC-520 steam engine chugging off. This was the engine that first ran on the Kalka-Shimla track in 1903.

Till the seventies this steam engine ferried coaches on the Kalka-Shimla track, and on Wednesday when it came to a halt at the railway extension platform near the bus stand, it was given a rousing reception by the people gathered there.

The special guests who travelled on it were from Switzerland and are associated with Bernina mountain railway. They are in Shimla under the idea exchange programme. Accompanied by senior railway officials they enjoyed their brief ride in the 1903-made engine that had two coaches attached to it.

This steam engine was brought out of retirement from Saharanpur. As per records, the KC-520 engine is said to be built by North British Locomotive Company for Rs 30,000 and was put out of service in 1971 with the advent of diesel locomotives.

The KC-520 was again put into use in 2001 for small trips between Shimla and Kathleeghat for foreign tourists as well as high-end tourists and people from the corporate sector, and at a cost of around Rs 1.08 lakh for a short trip for 25 people it became a popular attraction.

When the engine completed 100 years of its existence in 2003, Indian Railways and Himachal Pradesh government gave a privilege ride to then railway minister and 100 invitees on the historic KC 520 steam engine pulling the Kalka-Shimla toy train.

Prolonged rains, recession hit Himachal tourism industry

Shimla, Oct 13 (IANS) Prolonged rains, general slowdown and the Uttarakhand tragedy have taken a toll on the tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh, known for delicious apples and picture-perfect destinations.

According to the state's hospitality industry, most of the tourist destinations like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Kalpa, Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali have seen a downturn since the Uttarakhand disaster in mid-June.

"We don't understand where the tourists have gone," said Harnam Kukreja, president of the Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association.

"It's generally the peak season when the holidaymakers mainly from West Bengal descend on this town with the onset of Durga Puja," he said.

The global recession has also severely hit the arrival of tourists - both domestic and overseas.

"We get a good number of corporate clients during this period. In the name of cutting 'wasteful' expenditure, a number of corporate conferences have been cancelled or postponed," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation general manager Yogesh Behl told IANS.

"The current occupancy rate for Manali and Shimla hotels is 60 percent. In other destinations, it's quite bad. Otherwise it's almost chock-a-block with tourists with the onset of Navratras till Diwali," Behl added.

But trade representatives are expecting good arrival of tourists this week with a number of public holidays lined up, starting with Id-ul-Zuha Wednesday till Maharishi Balmiki Jayanti Saturday.

Manali and nearby destinations, which otherwise get a large chunk of foreigners, saw a decline in business this season, said Manali Travel Agents Association president Anil Sharma.

The foreigners, he said, have either opted for Leh in Jammu and Kashmir or cancelled their bookings owing to irregular flights to and from the state.

Sharma said the tragedy in Uttarakhand has created a fear psychosis among the foreigners.

Hotelier M.C. Thakur, who is based in Manali, said early arrival of monsoon in the plains has affected at least 50 percent of the business of hoteliers and travel agencies.

"Now longest monsoon spell is hitting the business. The fall in mercury due to untimely rain not only in the hills but also in the plains, especially in the north, has discouraged the tourists," he added.

Higher reaches in Kullu-Manali region, including the Pir Panjal, Brighu, Chaderkhani and Hampta, have already been wrapped in a blanket of snow.

The state economy is highly dependent on tourism, besides hydroelectric power and horticulture.

Himachal Pradesh last year got 1.61 crore tourists, including 497,850 foreigners, a state tourism department report said.

At present, 2,169 hotels with a total capacity of 55,928 beds are registered with the state, it said.

Via: http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/prolonged-rains-recession-hit-himachal-101804184.html

Virbhadra seeks expansion of Shimla, Kullu airports

Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh has raised the issue of expansion and modernization of all the airports in the State with the government of India. Chief Minister, who met Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri Ajit Singh in New Delhi today, raised this issue. 

He requested for increase in the length of Shimla airport runway so as to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft in the state. He demanded to provide adequate budget to the airport authority for restoring the original length of the run way in time bound manner so as normal flights could be plied on the airport before the winter tourism season .

Chief Minister apprised the Union Minister that the length of the Shimla airport runway had been effectively reduced to 3800 feet from original runway length of 4100 feet due to soil erosion. He said that at present the ATR aircraft cannot take-off with full load. The airport authority of India had drawn up plan to restore the original length of the runway which would mitigate the load factor problem. He offered all infrastructural and other assistance from the state government in restoring the original length of the run way. 

Shri Virbhadra Singh demanded the expansion of the airport and increase in the length of the runway by at least 600 ft so that the bigger aircraft could land safely at Shimla airport.

Chief Minister further requested expansion of Kullu airport adding that the state government had conducted feasibility study through IIT, Roorkee in consultation with airport authority of India. It had concluded that the Kullu airport could be further expanded and the presentation of the study had already been sent to the civil aviation ministry. He requested for allocation of adequate funds for the expansion plan of the Kullu airport.

Shri Virbhadra Singh requested for setting up advance technology and equipments at Shimla, Kangra and Kullu airports so as the larger aircrafts could land during all weather conditions. He asked for time bound action in this regard keeping in view of safety and convenience of the air passengers.

He also requested the union minister for developing infrastructure facilities for landing of large bodied fixed wing aircraft in the state and said that state government had submitted a proposal to airport authority of India for conducting feasibility study for new airport at Kandaghat in Solan district. He requested the union minister to direct the airport authority of India for identifying the new locations for setting up big modern airport to meet the growing demand of air services in the state. 

Chief Minister also requested to start smaller aircraft services of Air India to the state on the pattern of the north eastern states and also provide cheap and reliable air services in the state .He demanded construction of airport at Kaza in Lahaul-Spiti district on the pattern of Leh airport and said that Kaza airport will be more viable both economically and technically in comparison to Leh airport. Besides it would also boost the tourism in entire tribal and snow bound areas of the state which had immense tourism potential.

Shri Ajit Singh said that top officials of the civil aviation ministry would hold detailed discussions with the Himachal government officials on the expansion and modernization of all the airports in the State. He said civil aviation ministry was giving top priority for ensuring reliable and economic air services in the state. The ministry was exploring the possibility of plying the private airlines services in the state which had smaller aircrafts and would work for lasting solution of the problem.