Just when we thought that Covid-19 has taught us how important it is to be in harmony with nature; Himachal Pradesh is bearing the brunt of tourists returning to the state after Government opened up the state's alleys for people. A Twitter user posted his concern on the social media platform with pictures showing garbage strewn all over, which was left by tourists.
He echoed the concern and highlighted the condition of Himachal Pradesh for which a lot of support poured in from Himachal residents and others. Other residents of the state responded with their own photographs citing callousness shown by tourists.
Bollywood actress Yami Gautam also came out in support of this and called for stricter laws and penalties. She posted, "Hoping for stricter laws & such people need to be seriously penalized for doing this. It's high time, tourists need to start respecting the very State they resort to for seeking leisure. I urge the localities also to pull up such 'tourists' if they spot anyone doing the same."
As a Himachali I am disgusted and as an Indian, I am ashamed
A user wrote, "As a Himachali I am disgusted and as an Indian, I am ashamed that my fellow citizens can't even do the bare minimum."
It should be noted that in order to revive tourism in the state, restrictions were eased for tourists by the Himachal Pradesh government recently. Tourism is the backbone of the state's economy. Due to the pandemic, the tourism sector had come to a standstill.
In the Cabinet meeting, which was presided by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, it was decided that minimum stay for tourists can be reduced to two days from five days.
There has been a significant relaxation in the existing norms in regard to Covid-19 negative reports/certificates. Due to this step, there has been a notable influx of tourists from nearby places and it has added up to several problems in the state.
A Twitter user pitched in while supporting more responsibility for tourists, "This is what tourists do to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and most other hill stations. Why act so foolish, uneducated and dumb?"
