All govt schools shut till June 8, Shimla gets more water but rationing continues
SHIMLA: Even as the Shimla municipal corporation claimed improvement in the water supply situation on Sunday, the department of education has ordered closure of all government schools in the capital town from Monday onwards owing to tourists’ rush during the summer season.
On Saturday evening, directorate of education issued a notification declaring vacations in government schools for five days. The notification mentioned that all the government schools will be closed from June 4 to June 8 due to the ongoing water scarcity in town.
However, schools will remain open during the annual monsoon break, scheduled in July.
The department attributed tourist season and vacations in the private schools as one of the main reasons for the decision. “Private schools in Shimla have one week summer vacations and hence, we decided to close schools for five days,” said Amardev, director, elementary education.
Water scarcity, prevailing in the town for last 13 days, has adversely impacted the tourism industry.
“The visitors who had been holidaying in Shimla have cut short their visits and preferred other tourist destination in the state. However, the tourist inflow in the town increased marginally in the last two days. Hotel occupancy has now increased about 60%,” said Harman Kukreja, president, Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association.
Hoteliers, on Saturday evening, called on additional chief secretary tourism Ram Subagh Singh and apprised him about the decline in tourism.
“We have asked the state government to take measures to restore Shimla’s image that has been tarnished due to water scarcity in last couple of days,” said Kukreja, adding that there was enough water availability in the hotels.
There are 253 hotels in Shimla and 182 home stay in its vicinity.
NO PROTEST IN TOWN
Meanwhile, no protest was witnessed in Shimla town on Sunday, while the civic body claimed that the water supply that was 28 MLD (million litres a day) on Saturday rose to 37 MLD on Sunday.
ARMY, POLICE PITCH IN
Indian Army tankers supplied water to the residents on the main Mall Road and Lower Bazaar localities. “Shimla has been facing an acute water shortage which has resulted in unprecedented suffering to the local citizens, this year especially in the heat of summers and peak tourist season,” said an Army spokesman on Sunday.
“State government and the district administration along with the municipal corporation have been putting tremendous efforts to alleviate the shortage by hiring extra water tankers. As the situation reached an alarming level, the Indian Army has also offered to help,” he said.
Resorting to philanthropy, the police on Sunday lent a helping hand to Shimla’s thirsty people by distributing packaged water bottles among the locals and tourists free of cost in different areas under the purview of five different police stations in Chotta Shimla , Dhalli, Mall Road, Boileauganj and New Shimla.