Traffic jams in Mussoorie bane of tourist season
Tribune News Service
Mussoorie, April 5
The first rush of tourists this season in Mussoorie today was enough to expose inadequate arrangements made by the administration for tourists.
The tourists, who had come to relax for a few days on account of Good Friday holidays and a weekend, were caught in traffic jams here and had to undergo a harrowing experience.
The tourists found it difficult to move in their vehicles as the traffic jam spread across Mall Road and extended on towards Kempty Falls this weekend.
The mud-debris strewn on the road due to the incomplete sewer project work also hindered vehicular movement at Zero point all the way to Kempty Falls, causing a great deal of inconvenience for tourists here.
Illegal parking of vehicles near Darpan Hotel also created bottlenecks at Landour Bazaar, leading to traffic to move at snail’s pace here. Wrong parking of vehciles on the roads also caused unnecessary roadblocks, leading to minor scuffles between the tourists here.
The police found it difficult to manage the traffic as most of the parking lots were full, leaving vehicles stranded on the road for several hours.The one-way traffic plan also failed as the Peyjal Nigam authorities, due to the ongoing repair work being undertaken here, shut down Camel’s Back Road.
The absence of a full-time SDM in Mussoorie did not help the cause. No administrative official was available to manage the traffic and make alternative arrangements on the occasion.
Mussoorie police station in charge CS Bisht said the tourist rush was unprecedented and additional police personnel had been deployed to control traffic movement in the town.
Ramji Sharan Sharma, who has additional charge as SDM Mussoorie, said road damage triggered by the digging work done under the sewers and underground laying of electricity cables in the town had resulted in a traffic jam situation.
He said officials from various departments had been directed to complete all repair and construction work so that the tourists do not face inconvenience in the near future.
