Winterline carnival in Mussourie - enjoy hot air balloon rides

Mussourie is set to have its Winterline Carnival which will be the perfect backdrop to showcase the tourist attractions of Uttarakhand. Mussoorie will host the third Winterline carnival from Friday and it will come to an end on December 30.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 December 2015.

During this carnival, the entire Mall road would be kept free of vehicular traffic so that tourists can move about freely to experience the old world charm of Mussoorie and its Mall road - this road used to, once, be meant only for walking.
Winterline carnival will emphasize on the culture of Uttarakhand. Besides the traditional games and traditional performances like "jagar" (traditional devotional songs), there will also be traditional Uttrakhandi food available for foodies.
Moreover, in order to let the tourists feel at home, there will be hot air balloon rides, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Harish Rawat. This would be the first of its kind of activity at 7,000 feet in Uttrakhand. Depending on the prevailing winds, tourists can enjoy a brilliant view when the hot air balloons go up from 500 to 1,500 feet. These balloon rides will be conducted by Rajas Aerosports & Adventures Pvt Ltd.
The intention of this carnival is to promote Mussoorie as a tourist destination for all seasons.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Uttarakhand plans to develop areas around Kedarnath for winter tourism

Harish Rawat, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, has laid the foundation stone of reconstruction projects worth nearly Rs 115 crore to organize a festival in January to attack tourists to the scenic spot. He plans to develop the area as the paradise of winter tourism.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 15 October 2015.

He has also indicated that he would contact his counterparts all over the country requesting them to come to Uttarakhand and set up lodging facilities in the name of their respective states to encourage more tourists from across the country to visit the famed Himalayan shrine at Amarnath.
One of the projects is a helipad for MI-26 helicopters at a cost of over Rs 23 crore. Then there were other tourism related projects of over Rs 91 crore.
The region had witnessed mass devastation in the flash floods of 2013 and the state government was working on a three-tiered safety plan for the shrine. These include channelisation of rivers flowing behind it, raising security walls in Kedarpuri, securing the temple from inundation and strengthening the communication system in the entire region.
Projects that have been inaugurated by the chief minister include IT and Wi-Fi projects implemented by District Disaster Management Authority to strengthen the communication system in Kedar valley, installation of LED digital display boards for weather related information and 25 cottages equipped with modern facilities for devotees who would be visiting Kedarnath.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Instead of rooting out corruption, they are now trying to dilute the issue by bringing up corruption that the Congress had indulged in when the UPA2 was in power.
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This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 23 July 2015.

And, to counter this, the BJP has brought up the issue of resignation of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat over "liquor scam" worth hundreds of crores which has been revealed through a sting operation and "loot" carried out during the 2013 floods.
They have also added the issue of a charge sheet filed against Congress leader and former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister PK Thungon over a 1998 corruption case. He has been convicted only now in a corruption case after 17 years. The question BJP should ask themselves is – should BJP go the same way as the Congress? Where then is the promised change?
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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