Friday, 15 December 2023 | PNS | JOSHIMATH
Despite the State government claiming to have made adequate arrangements to facilitate winter tourism in Uttarakhand, nothing seems to have happened on the ground. Auli, a famed tourist destination of the State which beckons the winter sports enthusiasts from across the country and also abroad, has become almost unreachable after Tuesday’s snowfall. Notably, the tourists can reach Auli only on the motor road, but with a stretch of Joshimath-Auli motor road from Pahari Cafe to Auli remaining frosty, the tourists are finding it difficult to reach in their vehicles.
A few vehicles are now taking tourists to Auli, the locals said. Notably, the ropeway service has remained suspended since January. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has deployed workers to clear the motor road of the frost today. The locals looked unhappy with the authorities ignoring the problems being faced by visitors at Auli.
“Everyone knows that tourist footfall spikes in Auli during the winter when it snows. But due to the apathy of the government, the tourist footfall is much less than expected. The frosty road is playing the spoilsport for winter tourism here. We hope things will look up in the coming days, but we demand the authorities to find a final solution to this perennial road problem the Auli visitors face every winter,” a local said.
