Himachal CM Sukhu Unfurls 108-Foot Flag At Shimla's Jakhu Temple

CM Sukhu said the historic Jakhu temple in Shimla, which is home to the tallest statue of Lord Hanuman, holds deep spiritual significance and is a symbol of the collective faith of the people.

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu on Friday participated in the installation of a 108-foot-high flag at the Jakhu temple in Shimla and offered prayers.

Source : X@SukhuSukhvinder

Shimla, Jul 18 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday participated in the installation ceremony of a 108-foot-high Hanuman Dhwaja (flag) at the Jakhu temple in Shimla and offered prayers.

A statue of Lord Ram was also being installed at the temple complex; however, procedural challenges related to the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) were being addressed to facilitate its installation.

Sukhu said the historic Jakhu temple holds deep spiritual significance and is a symbol of the collective faith of the people. The temple is home to the tallest statue of Lord Hanuman, and the state government is committed to further enhancing its spiritual and tourist appeal, he added.

"The state government aims to improve basic amenities for devotees visiting Jakhu temple, including better parking, seating arrangements, and other facilities, while ensuring ecological balance," the chief minister announced.

Later, inaugurating the newly constructed rest house of the Public Works Department at Chhota Shimla, built for Rs 4.15 crore, he stated that PWD and IPH rest houses in the state have been opened for the general public, and anybody can book a room online.

Targeting the previous BJP government for building "too many rest houses", Sukhu said they require maintenance, adding that rest houses are for common people and not only for the elite.

The PWD and IPH rest houses are being made available to the general public at uniform rates (Rs 500 per day) through online booking, and the remaining rest houses will be integrated with the online booking system soon.

Welcoming tourists in Himachal Pradesh, Sukhu said that in some sections of social media, a negative picture was being portrayed, affecting the tourism industry in the state. Although some regions had been impacted by the torrential rains, a large portion of the state remains safe and open to explore, as 70 lakh people reside in the state, he added. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)