HPTDC buys electric vehicles despite financial crunch, critics call it misplaced priority. Raghubir Bali's, Chairperson of Tourism Development Council, move comes under scrutiny.
Shimla:
At a time when the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) is struggling with financial stress, Chairperson of the tourism development council, Raghubir Bali has chosen to give the HPTDC’s prime walking trails a virtual e-shock.
its decision to purchase battery-operated electric vehicles has triggered sharp criticism.
The corporation has procured five six-seater e-vehicles at a cost of nearly Rs 50–60 lakh for its properties at Chail Palace, Tea Bud Palampur, Devdar Khajjiar, and New Ros Common Kasauli.
Ironically, these locations are known as walking trail paradises where tourists usually come to trek, stroll through forests, and enjoy slow-paced nature tourism.
Critics argue that instead of encouraging walking and eco-trails, HPTDC is promoting short-distance rides that defeat the very purpose of visiting hill destinations.
Tourism experts say the corporation should have focused on wellness tourism — yoga retreats, forest therapy, nature walks and detox programmes — rather than getting into the local transport business.
This move comes despite HPTDC’s poor financial health and past setbacks. The corporation had earlier suffered heavy losses in its transport wing, once considered the biggest drain on its income.
It had also faced rebuke from the High Court over mismanagement of properties running into losses.
Observers say the corporation seems to be repeating old mistakes under its current leadership by venturing again into transport-related services.
There are also concerns that facilitating easy internal transport in places like Chail and Kasauli may actually reduce tourists’ length of stay.
Visitors who otherwise spend two or three days exploring on foot may now finish sightseeing in a single trip, cutting down room occupancy and revenue.
Responding to queries, HPTDC Managing Director Rajiv Kumar defended the decision.
“The funds were approved earlier by the Department of Tourism. These vehicles will add a new facility within large complexes like Chail Palace, where moving from one point to another is difficult, especially for elderly guests and those carrying luggage,” he said.
He added that the vehicles are electric, pollution-free, and do not require special driving licenses. “The company will train our staff to operate them. Every five-star hotel offers such facilities. We have to compete with private hotels by upgrading services,” Kumar said.
However, critics point out that the Rs 60 lakh spent on e-vehicles could have been better used to improve crumbling infrastructure at many HPTDC properties.
Questions are also being raised about insurance liability, long-term maintenance, and whether these vehicles will eventually end up unused, like the abandoned golf carts once deployed at Naldehra.
Will HPTDC extend this facility to all its properties?
Tourism stakeholders argue that most guests arrive in their own vehicles and prefer to walk once they check in.
“Walking in Chail or Kasauli is a luxury tourists pay for. People don’t come to Himachal for short rides, they come for nature walks and treks,” said a local tourism activist.
Raghubir Bali is about to induct e-vehicles in the coming days. Only time will tell whether this decision reflects modernisation — or another costly misstep by a cash-strapped tourism corporation.
READERS RESPOND:
ill advised move and decision goes against spirit and soul of hill tourism.
For competing with five star hotels and private players, need is to improve infrastructure and services and hygiene in the HPTDC hotels and restaurants.
-RC SHRAMA, IMI, PALAMPUR