The heavy snowfall in Auli near Joshimath on Saturday has brought smiles on the faces of the organisers of the National Junior Skiing Championship here. The championship is slated to begin from February 5 and the authorities here are gearing up to make it a success.
Garhwal Commissioner DS Garbiyal recently held a meeting of Government officials at the Municipal hall here and discussed the arrangements for the sporting event. For the smooth organisation of the national-level championship, many committees were constituted in the meeting.
Addressing the officials, the Garhwal commissioner directed officials of the departments concerned to ensure that the ropeway at Auli, road, water supply and electricity supply are repaired so that these facilities can be used without disruption during the event.
Though the recent snowfall has raised hopes among locals but the event organisers would have to work hard without delay to capitalise on this. The Joshimath-Auli motor road is blocked due to the heavy snowfall due to which the winter sports lovers are finding it hard to reach Auli. The maintenance work of the ropeway is still not complete and if things continue at the present rate, observers opine that the authorities will have a hard time in restarting the ropeway in time for the national championship.