The promise of snow around the New Year has lured a large number of tourists from different parts of the country to Shimla. As such, the iconic Mall Road and The Ridge were jam packed with tourists on Monday.
Shimla Hotel And Restaurant Association president Sanjay Sood said “Hotel occupancy is almost 100% in Shimla due to the holiday season. Many hotels have been booked in advance and New Year ’s eve and New Year’s day will surely bring in still more tourists. Most of the tourists are from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.”
Jaspreet of Mohali, who is visiting the hill station with his friends, said “The temperature is very low here but we are enjoying and are ready to bring in the New Year. We hope that it snows on New Year’s Eve, which will make our celebration more exciting.”
Nidhi, another tourist from Delhi, said, “It will be exciting to kick off the new year with snowfall.”
Shimla police say all arrangements are in place to offset any inconvenience to tourists. In an advisory, Shimla police have requested the tourists not to create any ruckus in town as stern action will be taken against the offenders under the Himachal Pradesh Police Act. Tourists have also been advised to take care of their belongings, especially mobile phones, purses and wallets as the police received a number of complaints of personal belonging being misplaced last year. Tourists have been advised to avoid consuming liquor and smoking in public places, including The Mall and The Ridge as drinking and smoking in public place is an offence in Shimla and such areas are under surveillance cameras.
{{/usCountry}}Shimla police say all arrangements are in place to offset any inconvenience to tourists. In an advisory, Shimla police have requested the tourists not to create any ruckus in town as stern action will be taken against the offenders under the Himachal Pradesh Police Act. Tourists have also been advised to take care of their belongings, especially mobile phones, purses and wallets as the police received a number of complaints of personal belonging being misplaced last year. Tourists have been advised to avoid consuming liquor and smoking in public places, including The Mall and The Ridge as drinking and smoking in public place is an offence in Shimla and such areas are under surveillance cameras.
{{/usCountry}}Snowfall is expected to occur at higher and middle hills of the state, including some popular tourists destinations in Shimla, Manali, Kufri and Dalhousie, which has also increased the expectations of tourists.
Himachal meteorological director Manmohan Singh said “Snowfall and rain in the state are likely to continue till January 4 after which the weather will remain dry.”