Foreign tourists in Harsil can stay overnight

Foreign tourists may soon be allowed to stay overnight in ‪Harsil‬, the picturesque tourist destination near Gangotri, without an inner line permit.
Till now, foreign tourists were required to take a permit to visit the strategically sensitive area which lies close to the China border.

After the district administration wrote to the state government asking for the restriction of overnight stay in Harsil town on foreign tourists to be waived in order to boost tourism in the region, chief secretary Shatrughan Singh said that the Centre has agreed to waive inner line permit restrictions on overnight stay in Harsil, though he is yet to receive the official letter in this regard.

According to Uttarkashi district magistrate Dipender Kumar Chaudhary, since Harsil is situated close to the China border and comes under the jurisdiction of Inner Line, tourists are not allowed to stay here at night. They can only visit the area, with due permission from the district administration.

Locals have been raising the demand to remove the restriction from the town so that the tourists can stay in hotels and homestays here. The move will boost tourism, bring revenue to the government and augment livelihood opportunities for the locals.

(Source: Toi Kolkata dated 2016-06-26)