As Himachal Opens Up, Tourists Are Back In Shimla And They're Leaving Plastic Waste Behind
In Shimla, one of the most sought-after destinations in the state, bottles and plastic waste were seen dumped at various places, as the tourist footfall increased recently.
Himachal Pradesh was the first state to open up for outsiders, as it was emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the state did not explicitly say that it is open for tourism, Himachal Pradesh lifted Section 144 in the state and tweaked its COVID-19 guidelines, and said that a negative RT-PCR test is no longer required to cross the state borders. Anyone with an e-pass is now allowed to enter the state.
PTI
This was followed by a mad rush of thousands of cars, mostly from neighbouring states trying to enter Himachal on the weekend.
Earlier this week, the state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) also resumed its interstate operations, including luxury buses that were suspended for over a month and a half.
HRTC had suffered losses amounting to Rs 105 crore during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Transport Minister Bikram Singh said.
BCCL
As more and more tourists have started flocking to hill stations like Kullu-Manali, Shimla, Dalhousie, etc to escape the north Indian summer, they are leaving behind a not-so-good-looking trial.
Plastic waste dumped by tourists
In Shimla, one of the most sought-after destinations in the state, bottles and plastic waste were seen dumped at various places, as the tourist footfall increased recently.
ANI
"Environmental and civic sense among tourists is absent. The amount of fine should be increased," Karan, a local told ANI, adding that "CCTV cameras should be installed to check such acts".
Himachal Pradesh: Bottles & plastic waste seen dumped at various places in Shimla as tourists begin visiting the city again
¡ª ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
A local, Karan says, "Environmental & civic sense among tourists is absent. Amount of fine should be increased. Hoardings-CCTV cameras should be installed" pic.twitter.com/yjCYQ9Mq9h
ANI
Taking note of the reports, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister CM Jairam Thakur said monitoring will be increased to avoid such incidents.
"Monitoring will be done to ensure that plastic waste isn't left in the open. The administration will be told again to see that tourists don't dump food and other waste. I welcome them but they should follow COVID rules and ensure that they don't dump waste," he said.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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