Himachal's Bir, Billing to be developed as paragliding sites

Bir and Billing areas would be developed as world class paragliding sites, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said here on Saturday.

Presiding over the closing ceremony of India's first AAI Paragliding World Cup 2015, the chief minister announced the completion of a 18-hole golf course at Bir, a noted centre for ecotourism, spiritual studies and meditation.

The World Cup was organised jointly by the Billing Paragliding Association and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

He also announced the renaming of Chogan Kyor road in Bir as late Pandit Sant Ram Marg.

Virbhadra Singh also laid the foundation stone of the National Institute of Paragliding at Bir, which would be constructed at an outlay of Rs.9 crore.

The paragliding institute would be the first of its kind in the country in the public sector.

He said more facilities would be provided to the paragliders in Bir and Billing.

Bir is the landing site and the take-off point of Billing are separated by 14 km in Kangra district, some 275 km from Chandigarh.

A total of 129 pilots from 31 countries, including eight Indians, participated in the World Cup.