Golf carts not feasible on Shimla roads: Himachal CM

Plying of battery-operated golf carts on the restricted roads of Shimla was not feasible, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said on Wednesday.

"Plying of golf carts as public transport couldn't be permitted due to legal implications over their plying," the chief minister informed the state assembly.

He said golf carts don't come under the purview of the Motor Vehicle Act. "So they can't be operated as public transport."

The chief minister said the government would soon restart taxis on the restricted roads of Shimla for senior citizens and disabled people.

Earlier, replying to a debate, Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said a proposal to start golf carts came from the Shimla Municipal Corporation.

Sharma said that in India, golf carts are only plying in Agra for tourists visiting the Taj Mahal.

Shimla has many auto-free zones to facilitate unrestricted movement of pedestrians.

The strolling culture of Shimla, which served as the summer capital of British India between 1864 and 1939, was developed by the colonial rulers.

The Mall and the historic Ridge, an open space just above the Mall and now a hub of commercial activity, were once 'British only' streets meant for strolling.