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Sunny Shimla beckons New Year
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 31
While the plains of North India are reeling under severe cold due to dense fog, the hills of Himachal Pradesh are basking in bright sunshine.

Hundreds of winter holiday revellers could be seen enjoying the warmth of the winter sun on the Ridge and other places. The abject lack of snow might have disappointed them but they must have been pleased to see the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, a rare sight in the plains these days.

The weather cycle has, indeed, undergone a sea change over the past few years. While snow is becoming increasingly scarce in the hills, the winter is more severe in the plains, which remain enveloped in thick fog for days together. Gone are the days when snowfall usually greeted Shimlaites on Christmas and New Year’s eve. Tourists from the plains used to throng the “queen of hills” in large numbers to experience the thrill of falling snow.

However, the scenario has changed altogether in recent years. Snow has been eluding the hill resort year after year. The severe degradation of environment due to unchecked deforestation has altered the weather pattern.

The town and its surrounding areas have not witnessed a good snowfall since 1990-91. There have been, of course, a few mild spells of snow every season. However, to enjoy snow, tourists have to go either to Kufri or even Narkanda, a good 60 km away.

Whether it snows or not matters little. Of late it has become a craze with the people of the plains to usher in the New Year at various hill resorts. Tourists start pouring in around Christmas and the rush is at its peak on the New Year’s eve.

This year, it has been comparatively a lean winter tourist season. The Indo-Pak tension and the upcoming elections in Punjab have affected the flow of tourists into the state. Moreover, the thick fog which has enveloped the region has made the plying of vehicles in the plains a nightmare. Not many people venture out in the prevailing weather conditions.

Consequently, the occupancy in hotels, which are usually full, is low. Barring a few big hotels and those run by the Himachal Tourism Development Corporation, which have a regular clientele, are offering up to 50 per cent concession on room tariff. “The average occupancy has been about 25 per cent in my hotel,” says Mr Ashwini Sood, the owner of Woodrina in Dhalli, near here.

Mr Umesh Akre, secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Hotel Association, feels that the influx of tourists has declined by about 50 per cent compared to previous years. The tourism industry has been hit hard by the developments along the Indo-Pak border, he said.

Mr Anil Kant, a tour operator of Kulu, maintains that the impact is almost like that of the Kargil war. Most of the bookings from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and even Delhi have been cancelled.

Those connected with the tourist trade are praying to the weather god for snow. Even a belated snowfall could extend the season and help them make up for the lost business to some extent.