Due to official apathy and failure of the Government to provide the required facilities, many tourist attractions in the mountains of Chamoli district appear to have been deserted by tourists. Generally during this part of the year, tourists used to flock to Auli and the world famous Valley of Flowers in this district. However, with the Government failing to ensure proper road connectivity and other basic facilities, these popular tourist spots are not attracting many tourists this year. This in turn is exerting a considerable negative effect on the finances of those locals who are involved in tourism-related trades.
The ropeway to famous skiing spot Auli has been mostly out of working order since it was used for some days during the 2010 South Asian Federation Winter Games. During the national junior skiing championship organised earlier this year, this facility was reopened and operated for about a week. Since then, the ropeway car has been out of operation awaiting completion of works. The Jammu and Kashmir based Space Age company is undertaking work on this ropeway which according to the directions of the State government should have been completed by June 20. However, more than a fortnight after the deadline the work is yet to be completed. The non-functional status of the ropeway is causing major inconvenience to the tourists who visit Auli. The locals complain that the State government simply sets dates for completion of work on the ropeway and remains apathetic inspite of deadlines not being met repeatedly. The intent of the Government is also being questioned due to the failure of the authorities to take any action against the executing agency failing to meet deadlines on repeated occasions.
If sources are to be believed, the State government is remaining apathetic to the unprofessional and inefficient work of the executing agency because the contractor is reported to be close to a senior bureaucrat of Uttarakhand.
On the other hand, the route to valley of flowers still remains closed as the bridge leading to this valley was damaged in the June 2013 disaster and has not been repaired since then. At present the valley of flowers remains covered with a wide variety of flowers and this is the period when tourists from various parts of India and abroad visit this valley. However, due to the route being disrupted this year the tourists are not able to reach the valley. locals complain that elected public representatives and bureaucrats often claim to be taking measures for bringing Uttarakhand on the international tourist circuit but such claims seem hollow considering the lax approach of the authorities towards ensuring facilities and link to the already famous tourist attractions here.