Wayside amenities opened at Marhi, Manali Volvo bus stand

KULLU, NOVEMBER 17

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg inaugurated complexes consisting of a number of toilets and washrooms at the Volvo bus stand and Marhi in Manali today.

He said the wayside amenities, created by the Manali Tourism Development Council (TDC), would benefit locals as well as tourists. He said the TDC was trying to provide better facilities to visitors.

The DC said the district had a become a hub of tourists. The amenities would provide convenience to visitors.

Kullu District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) Sunayna Sharma said the TDC was creating basic infrastructure for tourists and locals. She said Sulabh International would look after its maintenance.

Around 200 luxury buses arrive daily at the Manali Volvo Bus stand during a peak tourist season. The bus stand becomes slushy during rain.

The bus stand also lacks drinking water facility. The masses associated with the tourism industry have been demanding basic amenities like lights, water and other facilities at the Volvo bus stand since long.

Luxury buses are the backbone of the tourism industry but visitors had to face inconvenience due to lack of amenities.

The Volvo bus stand is located on the banks of the Beas. In such a situation, if the Beas floods, the bus stand also suffers a lot.

Last year too, due to heavy rain, Volvo buses parked here were flooded with water. Earlier, a Volvo bus and a few other vehicles were washed away during the floods.

The long-pending demand of residents to construct a tall RCC flood protection wall for the bus stand remains only on the paper and nothing concrete has been done on the ground so far.