As Shimla braces for a significant surge in tourist arrivals during the upcoming Christmas and year-end festivities, the local police are gearing up for potential challenges.
The Shimla district police are preparing for a massive influx of visitors, with expectations of over one lakh tourist vehicles entering the hill town in the last week of December, coinciding with Christmas and New Year celebrations. To attract tourists and promote the traditions and culture of Himachal Pradesh, the Mayor of Shimla City has planned the first-ever winter carnival as part of the year-end festivities.
Tourists have already started arriving in large numbers, hoping to witness snowfall in the picturesque locales as the year comes to a close. The police are bracing for various challenges associated with the changing seasons in Shimla. The increasing number of vehicles in the city, particularly on weekends, poses a challenge for traffic management. To address this, the police plan to act as facilitators for tourists, businesses in the hospitality sector, and other stakeholders. The city has been divided into five sectors, each assigned a rescue team to tackle challenges arising from snow-laden roads during winter.
The influx of tourist vehicles has seen a significant rise, especially at the Shogi Barrier entry point, with daily numbers reaching 12,000 to 13,000 vehicles ahead of the year-end festivities. The expectation is that this figure will further increase to around 20,000 during the Christmas and New Year period.
To manage the anticipated challenges, the police have planned to deploy 10 platoons, with the flexibility to mobilize an additional 200 forces if necessary. These additional personnel will be involved in both traffic management and security operations.
The week-long winter carnival is set to commence on Christmas Day, December 25. The Shimla Municipal Corporation hopes for a revival of tourism businesses through this event, while the mayor aims to convey a message of clean and green tourism in the hills.
The mayor expressed excitement about the winter carnival, stating that traditional folk dance forms and musical instruments would be showcased. The chief minister is scheduled to inaugurate the week-long event, featuring a traditional folk dance performance involving 500 women. Despite the biting cold, tourists are enjoying the pleasant weather conditions and eagerly anticipating snowfall.
While acknowledging the positive experiences in Shimla, some tourists expressed disappointment over the absence of snowfall. Despite the lack of snow, visitors find Shimla to be an ideal tourist destination in December. One tourist from West Bengal, Soutirtha Biswas, plans to visit Shimla again in January, hoping to catch the snowfall next time after monitoring the weather forecast. Another visitor from Bihar, Ankit, shared a similar sentiment, appreciating the cold weather but expressing a desire for the anticipated snowfall experience.
