The scorching heat has made life difficult for people in the plains of Northern India. In many cities the temperature has reached between 45 to 50 degrees Celsius. As a result, millions of people are turning to the mountains to seek relief from the heat. From Manali and Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh to Nainital, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Auli and Joshimath in Uttarakhand, record breaking crowds of tourists and pilgrims are being seen.
The weather is pleasant in the mountains; While some areas are experiencing light rain, other places are witnessing spectacular snowfall. This is the reason why people are flocking to the mountains despite long journeys and hours of traffic jams. However, the increasing crowd is now becoming a major challenge for the local administration. Hotels at many tourist destinations are fully booked, parking spaces are running short, and traffic jams several kilometers long are clogging the roads.
There is a huge crowd of tourists in Manali, Himachal Pradesh at this time. The sight of snow at Rohtang Pass remains a major attraction for tourists, especially during the last days of May. Rohtang Pass, situated at an altitude of about 13,000 feet above sea level, remains covered with snow even at this time of the year. However, due to congestion, traffic on the Manali-Rohtang road has almost come to a standstill. On Saturday, there was a traffic jam of about 5 kilometers long on this road. The situation was such that many tourists who left Manali at 6:00 in the morning could reach Rohtang only between 1:00 to 2:00 in the afternoon. Normally, it is currently taking 7 to 8 hours to complete this journey of approximately 50 kilometers.
Tourists say that they are forced to remain stuck in traffic jam on the road for 3 to 4 hours. A tourist from Kolkata, S. Mitra said the administration needs to further strengthen traffic management as drivers do not follow traffic rules, leading to congestion. Local tourism entrepreneur Hiralal says that due to lack of adequate parking facilities between Marhi and Gramphu, tourists have to park their vehicles on the roadside. This disrupts traffic flow and increases congestion. He believes that if more attention is paid to providing parking spaces, toilets and other basic facilities, this problem can be solved.
**Nainital hotels fully booked; Long queues for boating on Naini Lake**
The “City of Lakes” – Nainital – is witnessing a huge influx of tourists these days. On weekends, people thronged the major tourist spots of the city. Throughout the day, popular places like Mall Road, Snow View, Zoo, Kew Gardens and surrounding areas were buzzing with tourists. Naini Lake is packed with tourists, and long queues have formed on the banks of the lake, where tourists are waiting for their turn to enjoy boating. Tourists are enjoying boating from early morning till late evening. The cool breeze and pleasant weather of the mountains is proving to be a major attraction for tourists. The local tourism sector is directly benefiting from this huge influx of tourists. Hotels, guest houses and homestays are running at almost full capacity. Hotel owners and restaurant operators say that after a long gap, they are finally seeing such vibrant and brisk business activity once again. However, with the increasing crowd, traffic jam is also becoming a serious problem. There is traffic jam throughout the day on Mall Road, Bhawali Road, Kaladhungi Road and various routes entering the city. As a result, many people remain stuck in their vehicles for hours.
**Inflow of devotees in Kainchi Dham**
The number of devotees coming to visit Kainchi Dham of Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj is also continuously increasing. A large number of people are coming here not only from different parts of the country but also from abroad. Long queues of devotees are being seen in the temple premises and surrounding areas. In the coming days, the crowd is expected to increase further due to the programs scheduled to celebrate the foundation day of Kainchi Dham. The administration is constantly alert regarding crowd management and security arrangements.
** Pressure increased due to Char Dham Yatra; 20 kilometer long traffic jam in Joshimath**
In Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the Char Dham Yatra has reached its peak. Apart from pilgrimages to Badrinath Dham and Hemkund Sahib, a large number of tourists are also flocking to Auli, Niti-Mana Valley and other tourist destinations. At present, Joshimath region is becoming the biggest victim of this pressure. There are traffic jams for 15 to 20 kilometers. Long queues of vehicles were being seen at many places, especially from Marwari to Govindghat and from Joshimath to Selang. There are long queues of vehicles on the roads from morning till late night. Although the administration has implemented a one-way traffic system, due to the intensity of the crowd this system is not proving to be completely effective. Many people have to wait for two to three hours for the traffic gates to open.
**Faith persists even amidst rain and snowfall**
Rain and snowfall continues in the higher reaches of Chamoli district. Despite this, the enthusiasm of the devotees remains intact. So far, more than 7,25,000 devotees have offered prayers at Badrinath Dham, while the total number of pilgrims participating in the Char Dham Yatra has crossed 24 lakh. Snowfall in Hemkund Sahib too. Meanwhile, the enthusiasm of the devotees is clearly visible. At many places, volunteers are holding the hands of pilgrims and helping them cross the road. Elderly people, women and children are also participating in this yatra in large numbers. Pilgrims say that while the temperature in Delhi and other cities in the plains is reaching between 45 to 50 degrees Celsius, the cool winds and rain in the mountains provide a sense of relief.
**Big benefit to hotel industry**
The tourism industry is directly benefiting from the record breaking number of tourists and pilgrims. Hotels, homestays, taxi services, restaurants, local markets and small traders—all have seen a tremendous boom in business. According to Joshimath Hotel Association, most of the hotels are fully booked at this time. Despite confirmed online booking, many tourists are not able to reach their destination on time due to traffic jams. Nevertheless, the tourism sector is at its peak at this time. Experts believe that if the weather remains favourable, the number of tourists may increase further in the month of June.
Along with the record crowd, health related problems are also coming to the fore during the Char Dham Yatra. A large number of devotees are falling ill in Badrinath Dham and other high altitude areas. Doctors say that many people directly reach these high altitude areas from Delhi, Mumbai and other big cities, due to which they start having difficulty in breathing, fatigue and other health related problems. Experts advise pilgrims to spend some time in low altitude areas before going to high altitude areas, so that their body can acclimatise to the environment there.
**The biggest challenge before the administration**
The increasing pressure from tourism and religious pilgrimages has created new challenges for the administration. There is additional pressure on systems like parking, traffic management, health services, cleanliness and security. Experts believe that if the number of tourists and devotees continues to increase at this pace, then the need for permanent parking system, better traffic planning and digital surveillance systems will increase even more in future.
