Plea to allow spl budget for winter games' promotion

Mandi, January 17

The Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association has urged the state government for a special budget for the promotion and development of sports activities.

A delegation of the association met Sports Minister Vikramaditya Singh in Shimla yesterday and apprised him about the potential of winter sports in Himachal. They told the minister that the promotion of winter games would give impetus to winter tourism in Himachal, giving a boost to the economy of the state.

Ludar Thakur, president of association, told The Tribune, “There is enormous potential for the promotion of winter games in Himachal, which experiences considerable snowfall during every year. Due to a poor response from the government, winter games could not be promoted in Himachal. The games require special attention from the government. A special budget is required for the promotion of winter games.”

He said that winter sports like skiing and snowboarding could be promoted in the Solang valley of Kullu district, Narkanda in Shimla district and the Lahaul valley in Lahaul and Spiti where ski slopes were available.