Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Forest Dept slashes Triund trekking fee by half

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Dharamsala, January 14

The Himachal Government has slashed by half the fee charged by the Ecotourism Society of the Forest Department for tourists going for the Triund trek in Dharamsala. A spokesperson for the Forest Department, in a press note issued here, said that on the direction of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Dharamsala Forest Circle had given a 50 per cent discount on the entry and tenting fees for Triund and other trekking routes.

The spokesperson said that the Forest Department had reduced the entry fee for the Triund trek from Rs 200 to Rs 100 per head per day. The tenting fee had been reduced from Rs 1,100 to Rs 550 for accommodating two persons, inclusive of the entry fee.

No fee would be charged from registered local guides of the recognised Miscellaneous Adventure Activities Operators who were registered with the Tourism Department under the HP Misc Adventure Activities Rules, 2021.

Locals involved in trekking activities in the Dharamsala region and the hotel association of the region have been vehemently opposing the tax on the trek stating that it has led to a big drop in the footfall of trekkers and budget tourists coming to the region.

The Ecotourism Society started collecting the fee in December last year. Department officials have erected a check post at Gallu on the Triund trek to collect the fee. At a meeting held on November 23, the Ecotourism Society had also decided to cap the number of tourists going to the trek in a day to 400. Besides, the society had decided that at the most 40 tourists would be allowed to stay overnight at the Triund summit. For this purpose, only 20 tents would be allowed to be pitched.

The rules proposed by the society were opposed by people involved in the adventure tourism business in the region. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamsala, too, had written to the state government stating that the tariff was high. The hoteliers had rued that basic amenities such as water and e-toilets were not available at Triund.

The revised fee

• The Forest Department has reduced the entry fee for the Triund trek from Rs 200 to Rs 100 per head per day.
• The tenting fee has been reduced from Rs 100 to Rs 550 to accommodate two persons, inclusive of the entry fee.