Himachal Pradesh seeks Rs 500 cr from Centre to promote eco-tourism in Lahaul and Spiti

Shimla: First it was Rs 32,000 crore Rohtang Tunnel opening the gates to tourism in Lahaul-Spiti and next comes Kiratpur-Manali four lane project—a landmark of the sorts, Himachal Pradesh is visualising a major boost to tourism in the tribal belt.

Endowed with pristine murmuring rivers, scenic alpine lakes, and rich Buddhist culture, the cold desert of Lahaul & Spiti district has immense potential for religious and eco-tourism. The Himachal Pradesh government has now decided to fully harness the immense tourism potential of this landlocked hinterland.

Till now, the valley used to remain closed for six months during the winter but opening of the Atal Rohtang Tunnel has changed the entire perspective of the tribal land ,which is also connected to Leh.

TheTunnel has turned the journey to Lahaul and Leh as all weather but commissioning of the four lane will change the way to drive on one of the highly modern highways,having 13 tunnels shortening the journey by more than four and half hours—a distance of 49 km.The drive between Chandigarh to Manali will be less than five hours.

A budget proposal worth Rs 500 crore has been sent to the central government for approval. This will go a long way in promoting eco-tourism in this tribal district. In addition to this the project will help in creating the necessary infrastructure for the tourists in lesser known destinations in the district.

Apart from this, Rs 22 crore tourism project is under progress at Dalang village, which will also play a crucial role in attracting tourists, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Realizing the enough tourism potential across the mighty Rohtang paas, also known as the Gateway to Lahaul Spiti the foundation stone of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, was laid by Sonia Gandhi, the then Chairperson of the National Advisory Council in June 2010 and was thrown open to traffic in October, 2020.

The tourism industry in the valley has flourished considerably with the opening of the Atal Tunnel which is also important from a strategic point of view on the Manali-Leh highway. It has emerged as a popular destination among domestic and foreign tourists, besides shortening the distance to the headquarters of the tribal district, Keylong.

Ram Lal a farmer said that with the opening of Atal tunnel there has been a remarkable change in his life. Earlier, the farmers had to compromise due to harsh weather for timely marketing of their produce.