Shimla

Hotel occupancy goes up to 80% in Shimla, gives rise to traffic in state

Occupancy in hotels and homestays has increased to about 80 per cent as tourists from the neighbouring states are making a beeline to Shimla to enjoy the long weekend under the bracing climate. The influx of tourists in the hill town is causing traffic jams on the main roads, including the Shimla-Kalka National Highway and long queues of vehicles moving at a snail's pace are causing inconvenience to both the locals and the vacationers. Vice President of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja told PTI that the hotel occupancy has increased to about 80 per cent in Shimla and the peak summer tourist season will start from April 15 onwards till June 15. As temperatures have started rising in the plains the visitor rush is picking up ahead of tourist season. Vehicles parked on the roads and in front of hotels by the tourists coming without advance booking coupled with construction going on under the Shimla Smart City project have become major traffic bottlenecks. A numb

Elections in Shimla Municipal Corporation on May 2, results on May 4

Elections in 34 wards of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) will be held on May 2 and the results will be declared on May 4, as per the Himachal Pradesh state election commission. According to the schedule released by the commission, filing of nominations will take place on April 13, 17 and 18 between 11 am and 3 pm, and scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on April 19. About 87,000 voters will be able to exercise their franchise in the polls, it said. The last date of withdrawal of nomination is April 21 and the symbols would be allotted on the same day. The elections would be held on May 2 and results would be declared on May 4. The Himachal Pradesh government had on Saturday notified reserved wards for women and Scheduled Castes for the 34-ward Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC). Only 14 wards are unreserved while three are reserved for Scheduled caste. The BJP had wrested the SMC from the Congress after 32 years in 2017 and later, the BJP government increased the

President's Shimla holiday resort The Retreat opens for public from Apr 23

The 173-year-old heritage building and lush green lawns of the 'Rashtrapati Niwas', earlier known as the 'Presidential Retreat', at Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh will be thrown open for visitors from April 23. President Droupadi Murmu will officially open the estate to the general public during her visit to Shimla, Additional Secretary to the President, Rakesh Gupta, informed in a meeting at the Niwas on Friday, a statement issued here said. This would be an added attraction for people visiting the state capital in the Himalayan foothills. The entry fee for Indians would be Rs 50 a person and for foreigners, Rs 250 a person, according to the statement. The retreat will be open for people throughout the year, except on Mondays, government holidays and during the president's stay at the Niwas, it said. There will be no entry charge for group visits by government school students till June 30. The key attractions at the estate are the main building, the official dining halls and artifa

Surprise CBI inspection at General Post Office in Shimla's Mall Road

The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) on Thursday conducted a surprise inspection at the General Post Office located on the Mall Road in the heart of the Shimla, officials said. The inspection was conducted to check accounts and documents over allegations of irregularities, an official said, without divulging details. The inspection started after 10 am on Thursday and continued till late evening. CBI officials were unwilling to share more details, and it was yet to be ascertained if the inspections were related to some ongoing cases or a new case.

Hailstorm, lightning lash Shimla and surrounding areas; visibility plunges

A severe hailstorm lashed Shimla and surrounding areas on Tuesday afternoon, reducing visibility considerably and affecting vehicular traffic. Roads and roofs of buildings were covered with a layer of hail, making the roads slippery and driving hazardous. Sky remained heavily overcast and icy winds swept the region The hailstorm, accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning, brought down the temperature which stayed 8-10 notches above normal during the past few days resulting in early flowering of stone fruits. The hailstorm added to the woes of farmers already worried over early flowering. Meanwhile, higher reaches and tribal areas received another spell of snow, with Koksar getting 17 cm of snow, followed by Gondla (12 cm), Kukumseri (9 cm), Keylong (6 cm) and Kufri (2 cm). Light intermittent rains were witnessed in some parts of the low and middle hills. Shimla with 19 mm of rains was wettest in the state followed by Manali (14 mm), Hamirpur (6 mm), Bharmaur and Kothi (5 mm each),

Shimla sees warmest February day in 17 years at 23.2 degrees Celsius

The day's temperature in Shimla on Sunday was 21.6 degrees, whereas the minimum was 14 degrees, 10.6 degrees above the average

Allocate special budget for boosting tourist places in Shimla: Tourism body

There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in and around Shimla, the Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association (TISHA) said in a release here today."The stay of tourists in Shimla has decreased to one day. The decrease in stay of tourists and steep fall in inflow of the tourists in Shimla is a matter of great concern, " TISHA President Mohinder Seth said in a release."There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in & around Shimla, to create wayside amenities on the highways and for publicity of tourist activities available in and around every tourist destination of Himachal," he said in the release.The existing places of tourist interest in Shimla are very old and require additional tourist attractions and activities to hold the tourist in Shimla for additional two to three days, the release said."Creation of parkings exclusively for tourists in every cluster of hotels. The ...

Urgent need to allocate special budget to improve tourist places in Shimla

There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in and around Shimla, the Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association (TISHA) said in a release here today."The stay of tourists in Shimla has decreased to one day. The decrease in stay of tourists and steep fall in inflow of the tourists in Shimla is a matter of great concern, " TISHA President Mohinder Seth said in a release."There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in & around Shimla, to create wayside amenities on the highways and for publicity of tourist activities available in and around every tourist destination of Himachal," he said in the release.The existing places of tourist interest in Shimla are very old and require additional tourist attractions and activities to hold the tourist in Shimla for additional two to three days, the release said."Creation of parkings exclusively for tourists in every cluster of hotels. The ...

Bridge collapses after landslide in Himachal's Chamba, traffic halted

According to State Emergency Operation Centre officials, the incident took place at Loona area of Bharmour village in the outskirts of Chamba district

Environmentalists concerned over reducing snow cover, rising temp in Shimla

Harsh winters with heavy snowfalls beginning in December itself, covering Shimla in a white mantle of snow till March-end or even early April have become a thing of the past now. The Himachal Pradesh capital, which used to be draped in white and attract tourists from all over, now mostly presents a brownish look with dry grass covering the hills. There is growing concern among environmentalists and locals over the rising temperatures and depleting snow cover that the snow line is moving upwards and the "Queen of Hills" gradually losing her winter charm. Its effect now is more visible than ever in the hill city's dwindling winter tourist inflow and drying water sources. According to climate experts, the snow line is receding and Shimla's adjoining tourist towns Kufri and Narkanda, popular skiing destinations, too are experiencing scanty snowfall. The state capital's tourism industry is taking a hit due to the falling numbers and there is a dire need to find more tourist spots and ..

Fresh snow disrupts daily life, chokes traffic in Himachal's higher reaches

The higher reaches and tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh on Monday received moderate to heavy snowfall, choking traffic and disrupting daily life. The snow led to the closure of 484 roads, including three national highways, for vehicular traffic. Moderate to heavy snow was recorded in parts of Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Kullu and Chamba districts. Rohtang pass, Chitkul and the Atal Tunnel's south portal received 75 cm snow, followed by Khadrala in Shimla district at 60 cm, Solang at 55 cm, Kothi at 45 cm, Sangala at 41.5 cm, Kalpa at 39.2 cm, Narkanda and Kaza at 30 cm each, Pooh at 28 cm, Khoksar at 18 cm, Shillaroo at 17.5 cm, Tissa at 17 cm, Chopal and Kufri at 16 cm, Keylong and Samdo at 14 cm each and Manali at 3 cm. Icy winds pummelled the region with the Met office issuing an 'orange' alert for heavy rain/snow at isolated places in the mid and high hills of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur later in the day. It has also predicted ...

Shimla municipal wards' delimitation was in public interest: Ex-minister

Bhardwaj said the government has promulgated an ordinance to overturn the previous decision to enhance municipal wards from 34 to 41

Tourist footfall rises in snow-clad Shimla, Manali; hotel occupancy up 70%

Tourists made a beeline to resorts in Shimla, Manali and Kufri after a fresh snowfall, increasing the occupancy in hotels to almost 70 per cent. As many as 7,164 vehicles had entered Shimla through Shoghi border in 12 hours till 8 pm on Friday. The occupancy in hotels is expected to further rise by 10 per cent by the evening, vice president of Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association Prince Kukreja said. The police have advised the tourists to keep in mind the heavy inflow of traffic to Shimla before planning their trip, drive safely at slippery points and call 0177-2812344 or 112 in case of emergency. Slippery road conditions after rain and sleet caused great inconvenience for pedestrians and people came out only after the snow was cleared. Manali received 23 cm of snow followed by 16 cm in Khadrala, 16 cm in Shillaro, 12 cm in Kufri, 10 cm in Bharmour, 6 cm each in Shimla and Gondla, 4 cm each in Dalhousie and Kalpa and 3 cm each in Hansa and Keylong. The meteorological station

Leaders from Shimla district, Rajput community lead in HP cabinet extension

Leaders from the Shimla district and Rajput community dominated the extended state cabinet, with three out of seven newly inducted ministers, coming from Shimla district alone. Kangra, Solan, Kinnaur, and Sirmaur contributed a minister each. Four of the seven ministers hail from the Rajput community, while one each is from Schedule Tribe (ST), Other Backward Caste (OBC), and Schedule Caste (SC). The profile of the new minister is as follows: Vikramaditya Singh: Son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, Vikramaditya Singh, is a two-time MLA and holds a Post Graduate (History) degree from St Stephen's College, Delhi. He was earlier nominated as member, public undertakings and e-Governance-cum-general purposes committees. Singh has been quite active in the party and had campaigned in over 15 assembly segments in the recently held assembly elections. Earlier, he was also a president of Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress. He has represented H

Only 80% occupancy in Shimla on New Year, lowest in past four decades

The state capital was abuzz with activity as thousands of tourists made a beeline to Shimla to welcome the New Year but the occupancy in hotels was about 80 per cent, the lowest in the past four decades. Snowfall in Manali, craze to see Atal Tunnel, the new gateway to Lahaul and Spiti, has increased the footfall to the Kullu district that registered over 90 per cent occupancy, office bearers of the hotel industry said. Whereas no entry to tourist vehicles without a booking in Shimla city and apprehensions after last year's bomb hoax at New Year has hit the footfall in Shimla, they said. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had a stroll on the Mall Road on New Year's eve on Saturday evening. He interacted with the local residents and the tourists and wished them a happy and prosperous year ahead. A large number of tourists were seen roaming on the Mall Road and the Ridge to celebrate New Year and police have been deployed in strength to ensure that no untoward ...

Want to implement promises as soon as possible: Priyanka Gandhi in Shimla

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that the party wants to implement the promises made to the people of Himachal Pradesh as soon as possible.Speaking to ANI after Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi said, "We are very happy and we want to implement whatever we have promised as soon as possible."Congress leader Sukhu on Sunday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Mukesh Agnihotri, former leader of the opposition, also took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.Governor RV Arlekar administered the oath of office to them at a formal function being organized at Ridge Maidan in Shimla on Sunday.The swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Himachal Pradesh was attended by top leaders of Congress including President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka ...

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Congress Himachal MLAs to meet in Shimla today to decide chief minister

After registering a win in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election, Congress MLAs will meet on Friday in Shimla to decide on the chief minister

Labourers burn coal indoors due to cold; 2 dead, 7 hospitalised in Shimla

Burning coal inside a room to cope with the cold turned out to be hazardous for some labourers in Shimla, as two of them died while seven more were in hospital, police said on Sunday.The incident happened on Friday night in the Kotgarh area of the Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh.All the labourers had burned coal inside the room to cope with the cold weather, but the gas formation combined with the lack of air inside the room led to suffocation.The local villagers opened the door on the second day and found all the labourers unconscious. Two labourers died while seven are undergoing treatment in a local hospital.The local police has registered a case in the matter.

216 projects worth Rs 713 crore will make Shimla smart city: CM Thakur

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday said that 216 projects worth Rs 713 crore had been approved for Shimla under Smart City Mission