Himachal Chokes on Traffic As More People Flee The Heatwaves in North India

Soaring temperatures in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have resulted in heavy footfalls in the Himachal.

The soaring mercury levels and aggressive heatwaves in the Northern states of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have forced people to flee to the cooler regions in the Himachal such as Shimla, Manali, Nainital, Mussoorie, Kufri and Shoghi. While the temperature there has brought relief to the travellers, the influx of a large number of people has resulted in long traffic jams.

According to reports, on an average, about 4,000-5,000 tourists vehicles enter Manali and Shimla each day. During the peak season and weekends, these numbers only increase. But, with the temperatures going upto 50°C in places like Delhi and Chandigarh, the footfalls in Himachal is at an all time high.

To escape heatwave, tourists are flocking to#HimachalPradesh, leading to traffic jams. The picture shows #Traffic jam on the #Manali–#Rohtang road in Marhi on Monday. #Shimla too faced a similar situation. #HimachalPradesh #Himachal #Travel pic.twitter.com/loBjysQTxv

— Himachal Watcher (@HimachalW) June 10, 2019

On an average, Shimla records a maximum of 27°C, Manali 27.8°C and Dharamshala 31.6°C respectively. While Una in Himachal Pradesh has lately been the hottest at 43.4° C, Keylong is the coolest at four degrees.

Although around this time every year these places face the issue of over-crowding, no parking spaces and over-booked hotels, this year the problem has worsened. Most of the chaos this time is around the lack of proper parking facilities which has resulted in the tourists parking their vehicles on the road, which in turn has lead to tremendous traffic jam. Imagine being stuck in a traffic jam in the hills for hours on end.

To combat the issue, the Nainital administration has decided to not allow tourists inside the hill station till the parking is full and will only allow them to enter only when the traffic and parking is managed effectively.

To add to this crisis, the ATMs in Manali, Kasol, Manikaran and Kullu have also reportedly been out of cash because they could not be refilled due to bank holidays last week. Therefore, no matter how much the hills beckon you at this time, it’s wiser to let the chaos settle first in Himachal Pradesh.