MANALI: The traffic on the roads of Himachal Pradesh came to a grinding halt on Saturday as a record high number of tourists entered the state for New Year celebrations.
With thousands of vehicles from other states entering Himachal from Solan, Bilaspur, Kangra and Chamba districts, the roads in Manali, Shimla, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Solan and other popular tourist destinations have given in to the heavy traffic rush. The roads are jammed completely or it’s taking hours for vehicles to cover a distance of a few kilometers. Not just roads but the markets and streets have no space to move as thousands of tourists are enjoying the cold environment besides shopping.
The condition is worse in Manali where kilometers-long jams have ruined the holiday mood. Not just Manali town, but the Manali-Solang, Hidimba Devi temple, Old Manali, New Manali and almost all the roads remained jammed on Saturday. The traffic on Kullu-Manali national highway was moving very slowly and there was no space left in any parking.
According to sources, a patient from Lahaul died in an ambulance which remaining stuck in traffic jam at Solang valley.
With buses stuck midway, many tourists had to walk long distances to reach their hotels with luggage in hand.
The unavailability of parking left tourists frustrated in Shimla where most hotels have no road connectivity. Shimla-Kufri and card road were completely jammed while high traffic on Chandigarh-Shimla, circular road and bypass road destroyed the day.
Dalhousie town and roads to Khajjiar and Banikhet also witnessed huge traffic rush and Dharamshala and McLeodganj were left jammed with thousands of vehicles. Slow-moving traffic in Kasol, Manikaran and Jibhi also annoyed both locals and tourists.
The weekend made it easy for holidayers and party lovers to celebrate New Year's Eve in the hills which resulted in unprecedented traffic chaos. Despite extra police force stationed across the state for traffic management, the cops were helpless before weak tourism infrastrucutre. Hoteliers were reporting over 75 per cent occupancy. However, almost all the hotels were fully occupied in the main towns and major locations. Tourists stopping from hotel to hotel in search of room also added to the woes.
Tourists have rushed to Himachal Pradesh especially to see snow and enjoy late-night parties. Most of the hotels, including those run by the Himachal Tourism department, have arranged DJ parties and many competitions along with bonfires and other activities for tourists.
Tourists jammed the roads leading to Solang, upper Shimla and Khajjiar to see the snow. Many tourists had to book the hotels midway to avoid long traffic jams near the major tourist resorts. While tourists are enjoying the weather even in traffic jam, most local residents preffered staying home. Many people could not reach office on time and many had to return back home.
It was a test for people of Lahaul valley who spent the whole day stuck in traffic jams between Manali and Solang valley. Many of them complained that when they reached Solang in the evening, police did not allow them to go towards Atal tunnel due to the formation of ice on the road surface. Cops advised them that they can go if they have four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Thousands of vehicles had been stuck in jams in different places, especially Solang valley, by late evening. Many tourists were expected to reach back to their hotels by late at night. However, Kullu police have issued a travel advisory that ice was forming on the road surface after sunset, so tourists should not go towards Solang and other upper areas.
A similar tourist crowd is expected on the first day of the new year on Sunday. The tourist inflow will start decreasing from Monday onwards.
