Paragliding restarts at Bir Billing

Our Correspondent

Palampur, December 28

The Kangra administration on Friday restarted paragliding at Bir Billing, which was banned for three days as a security measure in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on Thursday.

Official sources said the ban was revoked on Friday. Earlier, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar claimed that the ban was lifted on December 24, however, no such notification was issued by the DC office and the same was not available with the Baijnath SDM, or on the websites of the district administration or Tourism Department.

A spokesperson for the Bir Billing Paragliding Association said the ban on tandem flights by the district administration had adversely affected the sport because hundreds of tourists were disappointed as they failed to enjoy the activity.

Bir Billing, which is among the top 10 paragliding sites of the world, attracts more than 25,000 flyers every year.

The Billing ridge, located at a height of 2,430 m from the sea level, is a perfect take off site for solo or tandem flights in the Dhauladhar mountain range. Bir, 14 km away, plays the landing site.