HC pulls up Himachal over poor amenities for tourists

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday summoned the Chief Secretary and the state roadways Managing Director over lack of wayside amenities like toilets across the state for commuters, including a large number of tourists.

Aghast over non-compliance of its earlier orders, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma observed: "HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corp) has not complied with our earlier orders."

"Also, action taken report, pursuant to the meeting convened by the Chief Secretary, has yet not been filed."

"It appears that either our orders are not being communicated to the government or the persons dealing with the same are not apprehending the importance, urgency and the sensitivity of the matter," the judges said.

Listing the case for next hearing on April 11, the bench directed Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhary and HRTC Managing Director Sandeep Bhatnagar to remain present in the court on the next day of hearing.

"We have been repeatedly emphasising the importance and the need for having the wayside amenities for the commuters. More so, considering the fact that Himachal Pradesh is a tourist destination," they said.

The state's Economic Survey 2017-18 says Himachal Pradesh attracted 196.02 lakh tourists last year, 2.9 times its population. It has 63 operational helipads.

--IANS

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