Malls to lure travellers on Himachal highways

Shopping malls will be soon a popular halting spot on the busy highways of Himachal Pradesh.

Shopping malls are to soon come up at two popular halting spots on the busy Kalka-Shimla national highway and later at other places along the highways running through Himachal Pradesh.

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"A shopping mall each will be built at Parwanoo and Kiari Bungalow with the help of the private sector," Himachal Tourism Minister G.S.Bali told IANS.

Pillars will be raised on both sides of the winding highway and the double-storied structures will come up above the road. They will have a shopping complex, restaurant and bar, among other facilities for travellers, he said.

"The private sector will build these two malls on 'build, operate and transfer' (BOT) basis. But the complexes will be owned by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC)," said the minister.

Parwanoo, 80 km from here, is the gateway to the hill state from the plains while Kiari Bungalow is a popular highway halt, 22 km from here.

"The government later plans to build similar highway malls on the Shimla-Dharamsala, Manali-Mandi national highways," said Tarun Siridhar, managing director of the HPTDC.

"The officials concerned have been asked to prepare project reports for these complexes," he said.

In the near absence of airways and railways, travelling by road is the most popular mode of transport for tourists and locals in the hill state.