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Heavy rains wash away ski slopes in Uttarakhand
Auli
(Uttarakhand): Heavy and incessant rain washed away
the ski slopes being prepared for the upcoming South Asian
Winter Games at Auli in Uttarakhand. Work was in progress
to complete preparations for the winter games due to be
held in January 2010. Residents blame the government for
a casual attitude and not using good material in making
the slopes. "There is only one reason for the sweeping
away of the slopes. The authorities dug up the natural
slopes, and filled up the cracks and gaps between the
slopes with ordinary soil without giving any strong support
underneath. So, the soil swept away with the heavy rain,"
said Purshottam Semwal, a resident. The caving in of the
slopes has deterred the construction work as the washed
away earth has covered the entire sports venue and has
spoiled adjoining areas. This has cast a doubt about the
ability of the State Government to recreate the ski slopes
and complete all the preparations for the upcoming game.
"I knew that there won't be any snow here this time around.
But when I came here, I saw the slopes were caved in.
It is dangerous. It's doubtful whether the winter games
could be held or not. It's a problem," said Devendra Joshi,
a tourist from Gujarat. The games were already postponed
to January 2010 from 2007-2008, as the State Government
was not fully prepared for it. The latest calamity has
further dented the preparations work. However, the state
Tourism Minister is confident and says the games will
be held in the scheduled time. "The Sports Secretary has
ordered an enquiry into it. We will come to know what
happened once the enquiry is completed. But there is no
question of that the government is slack or delaying preparations
for the winter games. The government is serious about
it and is working at the war level. We are hopeful that
all the preparations will be completed in time," said
Madan Kaushik, Tourism Minister, Uttarakhand. As per the
international standards, the sports authority in Auli
still has to ready ski slopes of international standards,
artificial snow making system, and vehicle parking facility
among many other things. As winters are only a months
away the construction work will further slow down with
snowfall.
-August
24, 2009
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