Drunk tourists will be sent back to hotels, not jail: Himachal Chief Minister

Amid increased tourist influx during the holiday season, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged tourists to follow all rules and regulations. However, he also assured that in case police found drunk tourists, they would be dropped at the hotels instead of sending them to jail.

"The police will send drunken tourists back to hotels rather than jails. I urge all the tourists to follow rules and regulations," Sukhu said while inaugurating the weeklong 'Winter Carnival' in Shimla to promote tourism in the state on Sunday.

Himachal Pradesh witnesses heavy footfall of tourists for the Christmas-New Year holiday week. The state, grappling with economic losses due to the devastating floods, aims to leverage its tourism potential.

"We want to promote tourism in the state. We have opened eating joints, dhaba and restaurants that will function 24 hours a day, starting from December 20 to January 5. So that the tourists do not face any problems," Sukhu added.

The Chief Minister said that the carnival will be organised every year in Shimla.

Sukhu said over 30,000 tourists visited the state, causing long traffic jams in the hill areas as seen on social media. He further highlighted that the state government has implemented special measures to take care of tourists.

Earlier on Monday, the police in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti district conducted drone surveillance as large numbers of tourists arrived in the region to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

As per authorities, drone surveillance was carried out by the District Lahaul and Spiti Police to take care of the law and order situation and ensure tourist safety and traffic system in the region.