Shimla, Aug 26: The tourism industry of Himachal Pradesh has been hit hard as tourist inflow has almost frozen due to the tight security in the neighbouring areas like Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh after the dera chief was pronounced guilty on Friday.
All the buses that run on the Himachal, Chandigarh and Delhi route have been suspended.
Over 200 routes of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) were affected and private and Himachal Tourism Volvo bus service on these routes were annulled.
Private cars and taxies are also not running on this route. A large number of tourists have got stuck in the state and are looking at alternatives to go back.
The hoteliers, meanwhile, are offering these tourists accommodation either for free or at discounted rates.
HRTC has confirmed that the bus services will remain suspended on August 26 as well.
Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) assistant manager (transport) RL Thakur said all the bookings for the Manali-Delhi route have been cancelled.
“The decision has been taken after an order from the government. We are waiting for next move,” he said.
Himachal transport minister GS Bali said the HRTC buses will not run on Chandigarh and Delhi routes given the sensitivity in the neighbouring states.
“A meeting will be held on Saturday to review the safety of the buses and its passengers. Only then we will decide if buses should run on these routes. If anybody is in high emergency, small taxis of HRTC would be sent for him,” he said.
Source Times Of India
