Hill stations are overrun with visitors, and Manali’s roads are congested with thousands of vehicles

Since December 24, the Himalayan state of Manali has been plagued by traffic problems brought on by the influx of thousands of Christmas revellers.

Along with other locations in Manali, Hidimba Road, Vashist, and old Manali all have lengthy vehicle lines. Traffic congestion is also present on the 24 km long segment of the route that connects Manali with the Atal Tunnel.

The Atal tunnel, which only has two lanes on each side, experienced traffic congestion at its north and south ends as well as inside the tunnel itself.

Thr officials say that, around 19,383 tourist vehicles entered the tunnel from both ends during the course of the last four days.

When it opened in October 2020, the Atal tunnel quickly rose to the top of the list of popular tourist destinations in Himachal since revellers utilised it to go to the Lahaul and Spiti areas to see snowfall.

The improper management of the traffic resulted in traffic congestion. On New Year’s Eve, more traffic congestion is anticipated as more tourists arrive in Manali.

To handle the traffic, the local government has divided Manali into eight sectors. The traffic police forbade tourist buses from parking on the streets because Manali needed more parking spaces.

Tourists have been warned to confirm their hotel reservations because 90% of the rooms in Shimla, Manali, and other popular tourist sites have already been reserved.

‘A western disturbance that will be active on December 29 may bring snow and light rains to five Himachal districts, including Kullu, Chamba, Shimla, Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur,’ says a new weather notice from the MET department.

To help the tourists, the Himachal government on Tuesday approved the restaurants’ 24-hour operation through January 2, 2023.