Ice skating to start soon in Shimla, rink shorter this time

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 16

Skaters will have a little less space at the Shimla Ice Skating Rink this season, thanks to the on-going construction work for a lift right at the entrance of the century-old club.

“We will roughly have around 10 per cent less space for skating this season. Once the construction work is over, the rink will get the space back and skaters will have the entire ground for skating,” said Pankaj Prabhakar, an official of the Shimla Ice Skating Club.

A lift is being constructed through Shimla Smart City Mission from Lakkar Bazaar, where the skating rink is located to the Mall Road. As and when this is completed, commuters will have the option to skip the walk up the steep incline and instead take the lift. Until it’s completed, the around 300 skaters at the club will have to make do with slightly less space.

While the club is not too worried about the loss of space, the water seeping into the rink is a matter of concern for them. “A large portion has become a little moist because of the seepage. This could cause some problem in preparing a sheet of ice,” said Prabhakar.

The club is planning to start skating towards the end of this month. “If the temperature stays what it is these days or drops down further, we expect to start skating by month end. The facilities offered include ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating,” the official said.

Generally, the rink is functional for two months, in December and January. “Last year we continued till February 7 and conducted 86 sessions. This year we are hoping to provide more session to the skating enthusiasts,” said Prabhakar.

Apart from the construction work, the other source of disturbance to the club could be the dilapidated Rivoli building that’s located right above the rink. The MC has already issued its demolition orders. If the building collapses on its own, the club’s card house can sustain some damage.

Water seeping a concern

• While the club is not too worried about the loss of space, the water seeping into the rink is a matter of concern for them.
• A large portion has become a little moist because of the seepage, says an official of the Shimla Ice Skating Club
• Other cause of worry can be the dilapidated Rivoli building. If the building collapses, the club’s card house can suffer some damage.