Tourists flock to Shimla, Manali Dalhousie to ring in Christmas

SHIMLA/DHARAMSHALA : Though a white Christmas eluded Shimla this year, tourists flocked to the hill stations of Himachal Pradesh to ring in the festive season. The tourist destinations of Manali, Dalhousie, Narkanda, Chail, Kasauli, Dharamshala and Palampur were choc-a-bloc with visitors, raising the spirits of hotel owners.

“The occupancy in hotels is nearly full this festive season,” says Sanjay Sood, the president of the Shimla Hotel and Restaurants Association.

Traffic was smooth in the state capital on Wednesday though the rush is likely to increase by Friday as the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government has planned a rally in Shimla on December 27 to mark two years in office. The police have implemented a traffic management plan to keep vehicle movement smooth.

In Manali, where a traffic jam was witnessed on the Solang Nullah stretch on Tuesday, the congestion has improved. “The situation has eased though traffic movement is slow,” said Manali deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sher Singh.

Meanwhile, sub-zero temperatures persisted in the state with foggy conditions in the lower hills.

KEYLONG records -12.4°C

Keylong, the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti district, was the coldest place with the minimum temperature dipping to minus 12.4 degrees Celsius. Kalpa saw a low of minus 4.6 degrees, while the night temperature in Shimla was 2.3 degrees Celsius.

Manali recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees and Kufri minus one degree Celsius. Dharamshala and Dalhousie were cold at 2.3 and 2.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.