Manali hoteliers demand protection wall at bus stand

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 14

Hoteliers of Manali have urged the state government to construct a protection wall at the Volvo bus stand along the Beas near the town. In September 2018, a flooded Beas had damaged a huge portion of the bus stand and washed away a Volvo bus.

The hoteliers have been requesting the government since then for a protection wall along with the Beas to check soil erosion on the premises of the bus stand, but to no avail. There is no other suitable place near Manali town to park Volvo buses.

Hem Raj Sharma, a hotelier in Manali, says, “There is need to construct a wall at the bus stand along the Beas before the onset of the rainy season, as this is the only place where tourists arrive and depart”.

He says, “There is a major threat to the bus stand from the Beas during the rainy season. If it is further damaged due to floods in the river, Volvo buses will have to be parked near Patlikuhal, away from Manali town. It will only encourage fleecing of tourists by taxi operators or auto-rickshaw drivers during odd hours because a majority of tourist buses arrive here at night”.

Anup Thakur, president of the Hoteliers Association Manali, says, “The state government should provide funds for the construction of the wall immediately and direct the officials concerned to finish the work in a time frame. We urge Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to look into the matter and approve a budget for the purpose”.