SHIMLA ADMINISTRATION ISSUES TRAVEL PRECAUTIONARY TO TOURISTS

-WRITES LETTERS TO ALL DCs OF PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH AND HARYANA
--TELLS TO ENSURE ADVANCE HOTEL BOOKING AND BRING WARM CLOTHES WITH
---TOURISTS MUST COMPLY THE DIRECTIONS: DC
Ludhiana, December 6, 2017: Tourist Place Shimla gets many spells of snow during the winter season every year and tourists, mainly from Chandigarh and the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, rush to the city as soon as there is a news of any snowfall there. This poses many different challenges to the District Administration Shimla in terms of traffic jams, accidents, choking of Hotel accommodation, medical issues, water and power failure etc.

While the District Administration, Shimla is taking all necessary steps to meet these eventualities, it has also been decided that co-operation of the District Administration in Chandigarh and in Punjab and Haryana may be solicited with the object of regulating the flow of tourists to Shimla and also to sensitize the tourists about the issues prevalent here during such time.

Accordingly, Deputy Commissioner Shimla Mr. Rohan Chand Thakur has appealed to all Deputy Commissioners of Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana that the following Advisory may kindly be issued to the tourists planning to come to Shimla during the upcoming winter/snow season, as a precautionary measures.

As per the letter, The tourists have been advised to get their proper booking done in Hotels/guest houses well in advance while visiting Shimla town/Himachal Pradesh to avoid harassment and problems regarding stay in harsh cold conditions.

Whenever there is heavy snowfall in Shimla, the snow generally lasts 3-4 days especially in neighbouring tourist spots of Kufri, Narkanda etc. Rathar than immediately rushing to Shimla, the tourists should plan to come on the second or third day after snowfall by which time normalcy is generally restored and they can have a more comfortable stay.

Driving on snow is dangerous and many times leads to fatal accidents. It has generally been seen that such accidents happen due to inexperience and lack of skill with the drivers. To avoid such situations, tourists should come with experienced drivers and drive only during daylight hours and avoid driving alone.

They should take proper precautionary steps to combat cold conditions like bringing blankets to be warm in case they are stranded. They should also carry bottled water, beverages and milk etc. to avoid dehydration.

They should avoid bringing infants, minor children and aged people along since they may have trouble in coping with the harsh cold conditions and in walking on snow.

In case of heavy snowfall accompanied with snow storm/blizzard which forces the tourists to halt, they should turn on the hazard lights of their vehicles and in case the halt extends for a longer period of time due to adverse conditions, they should run their vehicle engine for about 10 minutes every hour to stay warm. Further, they should open a window slightly for ventilation while the car is running, to prevent any carbon monoxide build-up. Any snow that builds up on the vehicle's exhaust pipe should be removed.

In case of any emergency, they can call at District Emergency Operation Centre, Shimla on its telephone Numbers 0177-2800880-83 which would be operative round the clock.

Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Mr. Pardeep Kumar Agrawal appealed to tourists to comply the directions issued by Shimla administration so that they might not face any harassment and problems regarding stay in harsh cold conditions.