A number of tourists enjoyed Christmas at Auli near Joshimath on Monday. Though the visitors enjoyed the scenic beauty, the snow and the climate, the non-functioning of ropeway at Auli did cause disappointment to the visitors on the festive occasion.
The non-functioning ropeway has once again raised questions at the efficiency of the Government authorities who repeatedly claim of making necessary arrangements to boost tourism and snow sports at world famous destinations like Auli near Joshimath.
On Monday, a large number of tourists arrived at Auli. With snow from the recent snowfall being present till the edge of Auli, many of the tourists could be seen going by foot to enjoy the snow. Though the ropeway was not functioning, the tourists were able to use the chair-lift in Auli. On Sunday too a considerable number of people had arrived here. According to the chair-lift manager Deepak Dimri, on Sunday 1352 tourists had used the chair lift at Auli.
It should be mentioned here that though successive State Governments had been making various claims for tourism development, even the world famous destination of Auli continues to be affected by lack of various facilities. While the government intends to attract international tourists to Auli, there is no proper facility for the tourists to park their vehicles here.
Eliciting focus on the lack of facilities and disorder at Auli, the Painkhanda Sangharsh Samiti head Ramesh Chandra Sati has written a letter to the Chamoli district magistrate seeking various measures.
He has demanded the sign boards should be placed and toilets should be provided at Auli. Further, proper parking facility should also be provided at Auli especially to resolve the problem of traffic disorder at this famous tourist destination.