A PROJECT

ON

HIMACHAL PRADEH
SUBMITTED BY

SIDHANT BHATIA

SUBMITTED TO

Mr. Saumya Jeet

Feburary’19
Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas.
It's home to scenic mountain towns and resorts such as
Dalhousie. Host to the Dalai Lama, Himachal Pradesh has a
strong Tibetan presence. This is reflected in its Buddhist temples
and monasteries, as well as its vibrant Tibetan New Year
celebrations. The region is also well known for its trekking,
climbing and skiing areas.

Capital: Shimla
Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur
 POINTS OF
INFORMATION

Transport Policies

Modes of Transport

List of Airport

Distance and Time from

Delhi
 Transport Policies
TAX FREE ROUTES
Presently there is a provision under the
Himachal Pradesh Motor Vehicles
Taxation Act, 1972 for exempting
certain roads from SRT. However, the
exemption is being granted on
furnishing a certificate from the PWD
authorities. This causes a financial loss
to the operators as till such time a
certificate is issued by the PWD
authorities and produced by the
operator before the concerned RTO,
the operator has to pay the Special
Road Tax.
INSPECTIONS/ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT OF THE STAGE
CARRIAGE VEHICLES
To ensure compliance of conditions of
permits and Motor Vehicles Act and Rules,
the Transport Department will undertake
Special drives periodically to check
The Transport Department is
evasion of tax, violation of conditions of committed to improve passenger
permit, violation of mandatory provisions
convenience, comfort and safety.
of Motor Vehicles Act such as drunken For doing so the following steps will
driving; driving without license and illegal
be taken Every Stage Carriage
operation of personal motor vehicle as Operator is required to issue ticket
taxi for hire and reward etc; Maintenance
to passenger as per the provisions
of Inspection book by all Stage of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Carriage/Contract Carriage operators will
be made compulsory by incorporating a
condition in the grant of permits.
 Transport Policies
PERMIT FOR LUXURY COACHES
The Transport Department will
identify routes emanating from all
District headquarters covering
important destinations viz religious
and tourist spots in consultation with
the concerned departments for
operation of Air Condition Buses
within each district to provide a
comfortable service to the tourists.
The HRTC will consider introducing
limited Air Conditioned buses on
inter-state routes after entering into
agreement with participating States
if need be.
FACILITIES TO OPERATORS AT BUS
STANDS
The Himachal Pradesh Bus Stand
Management and Development
Authority will construct and provide
separate booking booths, crew rest
rooms and other facilities to the private
operators against rent. The Himachal
Pradesh Bus Stand Management and
Development Authority will also
provide public utility conveniences
including toilets on the pattern of
“Sulab Shauchalayas” at all bus stands.
PARTICIPATION OF THE
POLICE IN OPERATION OF
STAGE CARRIAGES
The Director of Transport
will supply timetables in
respect of each stage
carriage permit holder to
the Police Department to
enable them to check
violation of adherence of
timetables and routes.
 Transport Policies
COLOR PATTERN FOR PRIVATE STAGE CARRIAGE
BUSES AND BUSES OWNED BY EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTES
The Stage Carriage buses of all private operators
will be painted as per color scheme notified by the
Department. The particulars of the bus owner shall
be written in black letters in uniform strip of 8 cm
on both sides at a specified location. The existing
permit holders shall switch over to the new color
pattern within two years of the notification of such
color scheme; All buses owned by the educational
institutions including Universities will be painted in
yellow color with 8 cm strip in white and showing
particulars of the institution on both sides written
in black color. The existing buses will switch over to
the new color pattern within 2 years; HRTC will
continue to use the color pattern determined by
the Corporation subject to the condition that the
color scheme of the HRTC remains distinct from
that of the Stage Carriages buses owned by the
Educational Institutions.
AUTORICHSHAWS
Experience in this segment shows that
indiscriminate growth of auto rickshaws in
different places in the state has caused twin
problems: traffic congestion and pollution due
to use of two stroke petrol engines. The
department will therefore endeavor to tackle
the above two problems while at the same time
providing this kind of transport facility generally
used by the poor people in the state. Therefore,
auto rickshaw permits will be allowed only in
selected towns to be notified by the
Government. Further, only auto rickshaws with
four stroke engines will be granted permits
henceforth.
 Transport Policies

OPERATION OF INTER CITY LOCAL NUMBERING OF INTRA CITY LOCAL TAXIS WITH METERS
BUSES BUSES

The Transport Department will In order to facilitate the public and

not allow any halt/stage improve efficiency of services, the Metered Taxies will be started in Kullu,
destination in the route Transport Department will allot Manali, Dharamsala, Shimla and
permit/time table of local bus numbers for every Stage Carriage Dalhousie Towns to begin with. Later
operators to ensure smooth flow operating within the city/town. The more towns will be covered under the
of traffic. Only the originating bus No. and routes will also be scheme. Prepaid taxi services shall also be
destination with starting time and displayed at the bus stops so that started in these towns.
terminus destination with buses do not halt at undesignated
reaching time will be mentioned. bus stops.
 Transport Policies

CHECKING POLLUTION EMISSIONS FROM THE WATER TRANSPORT POLICY

MOTOR VEHICLES

Keeping in view the fragile ecology of the state and

potential of the Motor Vehicles in causing air and
noise pollution, the Transport Department will
undertake following steps:- The Department will try
to introduce Euro-II norms of pollution emission on The Transport Department, which is also
MotorVehicles. responsible for water transport in the state, will
The Department will try to promote usage of undertake steps to improve the quality of service
alternate fuels like CNG and LPG etc. in Motor and safety and comfort of passengers. For
Vehicles. It will also be the endeavor of the achieving this end, suitable amendments in the
Department to promote four stroke two wheelers Himachal Pradesh Ferries Act will be made to
and three wheelers in the state. Suitable provisions provide for type of Ferries used in Transport,
will be made to make functioning of Pollution periodical inspection of Ferries, conditions of grant
Check Centers more effective. The Transport and operation of permits and safety measures to
Department will supply to the Pollution Control be undertaken by the operators.
Board a list of all private agencies authorized for
grant of Pollution Control Certificate so that the
activities and operation of these centers could be
checked by the Board.
 Modes of Transport
• By Plane

Himachal Pradesh has three domestic airports

– Kullu-Manali Airport in Bhuntar, Dharamsala
Airport (also, known as Kangra Airport) in
Gaggal near Kangra, and Shimla Airport in
Jubberhatti, approx. 13.6 miles from Shimla.
These airports are well-connected with major
cities in India via regular flights (with stops) by
Air India. There are many private cabs/taxis
operating at these airports, so reaching your
destination won’t be a hassle.

Point to note: During winter, several flights do

not operate due to harsh weather conditions.
 Modes of Transport
• By Train

Because of the rugged mountainous terrain, building up new railway lines in

Himachal is hard, hence only some areas have rail connectivity. The Kangra Valley
Railway is the major railway line that serves Himachal. It runs
from Pathankot (Punjab) to Jogindernagar (Himachal). You can take a flight or
drive up to Punjab, and then take a train from Pathankot, which takes
approximately eight hours to reach Himachal Pradesh.
 Modes of Transport
• By Kalka-Shimla Toy Train

The easiest and scenic way to reach Shimla, capital of Himachal

Pradesh, is by taking the Kalka-Shimla Toy Train. Declared as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, this tourist train service
connects Kalka (Haryana) and Shimla (Himachal). It runs for nearly 60
miles, passing through 18 railway stations, 864 bridges, 102 tunnels
and 900 curves. It takes approximately six hours to reach Shimla.
Along the way, you will pass through some stunning destinations.
Some of the major passenger points are Dharampur, Solan,
Kandaghat, Tara Devi, Barog, Salogra, Totu, and Summerhill – in that
order.

The trains operating on Kalka-Shimla route include: Shivalik Deluxe

Express that can accommodate 120 passengers, Rail Motor Car has
the capacity of 14 passengers; Himalayan Queen, Shimla Express
and Shimla Kalka Passenger are the standard train services. Two
special heritage carriages also operate on the Kalka-Shimla route:
Shivalik Queen Tourist Coach and Shivalik Palace Tourist Coach.
These special carriages operate on selected dates only from March
until September. In the high season, particularly summer months
(April-June), due to the heavy tourist influx, two special holiday trains
run on this route.
 Modes of Transport
• Road Transport by Bus
Travelling by bus is cheaper and perfect for travellers
on a tight budget. Buses are the major form of public
transportation, and there is an extensive network of
them operating in and around the state. The Himachal
Tourism and Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development
Corporation (HPTDC) run a fleet of government buses
from Delhi and neighbouring cities to Himachal,
including AC Sleeper, Volvo AC, Volvo AC Sleeper, AC
Seater, Non-AC Seater and Non-AC Sleeper. Most of
the buses ply between Delhi and Shimla, Manali, Kullu
and Khajjiar on a regular basis. As Himachal has
mountainous terrain, expect to have a bumpy bus ride.

• How to book HPTDC bus: You can book a bus ticket

through the online bus reservation system, and the
booking can be made up to 12 hours before the
departure time.
 Airports in Himachal
Pradesh
1. Bhuntar Airport
Bhuntar Airport is situated in Bhuntar, near Kullu and Manali. It is situated at a
distance of 50 km from Manali and 10 km from Kullu. You can easily get flights from
New Delhi to Bhuntar Airport, via Shimla. Infact, Jagson Airlines operates regular
flights to Bhuntar.

2. Gaggal Airport
Gaggal Airport is situated in Gaggal, near Dharamsala. It falls under the Kangra
district of Himachal Pradesh. It falls at a distance of hardly 13km from Dharamsala
and 8km from Kangra. Air Deccan operated daily flights to Gaggal airport, from Delhi
and Pathankot.

3. Jubbarhatti Airport
Jubbarhatti Airport is situated in Jubbarhatti and mainly caters to the rush of
travelers visiting Shimla. The airport is located approximately 23 km away from the
beautiful hill station. Jagson Airlines and Deccan Airways operate regular flights to
Jubbarhatti.
Time and Distance from Delhi

Time Distance

342.3 km (via
6 h 53 min NH 44 and
NH5)