Shimla admn issues advisory to city tourists

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 13

The city administration has today received an advisory from the district administration of Shimla for tourists who are planning to visit the capital city of Himachal Pradesh in the coming days. The advisory has been issued to warn the tourists in advance about the prevailing weather conditions in Shimla.

Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said, “Since many people visit hill stations during snow fall in winter, it poses a challenge to the Shimla administration because of traffic jams, road accidents, paucity of enough rooms in hotels, power and water supply shortage. In order to minimize all these bottlenecks, the district administration there has sought support from Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana and has also issued a set of guidelines for the tourists.”

In the advisory, the administration has asked the tourists to get their rooms booked before coming to Shimla, so that they do not face the problem of non-availability of rooms. Besides Shimla, it also snows in nearby areas, including Kufri and Narkanda. Instead of coming directly to Shimla, the tourists can explore nearby areas to minimize the crowd at Shimla. Once snowfall begins to taper off, one can always visit Shimla. In order to save themselves from biting cold, the tourists should carry with them enough woolens, blankets and sweaters and try to not bring small children or elderly people with them.”

Sangha said it was unsafe to drive during snowfall. Tourists had been advised to travel only during day time and avoid driving alone.

The advisory furthers states, “In the event of snow, the vehicles should be parked on one side of the road and their lights should be kept switched on. Due to non-conducive circumstances, if one has to halt his journey, the vehicle should be switched on every 10 minutes to keep the engine warm. While switching on the engine, the vehicle’s widows should be rolled down a little to prevent the accumulation of poisonous carbon monoxide inside the car, which can also cause death.” 

The district administration has also issued an emergency helpline number 0177-2800880 for the tourists.