Heavy influx of tourists chokes road to Rohtang

Tribune News Service
Mandi, June 10

Following heavy rush of tourists visiting Rohtang and Lahaul these days, long queues of vehicles can be seen from Mandi up to the Rohtang Pass. Commuters are being stuck for hours in long traffic jams daily, making their journey tedious.

Locals alleged the poor traffic management of the district administration on the Kullu-Manali-Keylong highway was the major cause of the chaos. Taxi drivers can be seen violating traffic norms, resulting in worsening the situation. 

A group of persons from Gaziabad, who were going to Rohtang on Sunday, said it took them  five or six hours to travel 50 km from Manali. 

Junaid Khan and his friends said they started their journey around 8 am. Till 2 pm, they were stuck in traffic jams at several places from Manali up to Rohtang.

Superintendent of Police, Kullu, Shalini Agnihotri said the road from Manali to Rohtang was too narrow to handle the rush of tourist vehicles. Due to the peak tourist season, the district was witnessing a large number of tourist vehicles. The Kullu-Manali highway was also under construction.

She said police personnel were deployed at key locations on the Kullu-Manali highway up to Rohtang to regulate the traffic.