Rohtang Pass permits not easy to come by

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, May 26

The daily limit of 1,200 online permits for Rohtang Pass was exhausted in a matter of minutes on Sunday with no permit available for the next three days.

The Pass was thrown open to tourists on May 24 with a daily limit of 1,200 vehicles — 800 petrol and 400 diesel ones. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had capped the number of vehicles to the ecologically fragile region.

The permits can be obtained online in two time slots— at 10 am for 200 diesel and 400 petrol vehicles and at 4 pm for the remaining vehicles. One can apply for the permit for the next six days from the current day. While the permit is valid for one day for a to-and-fro journey, only three permits can be obtained for one vehicle in a week. The permit for light motor vehicles and medium utility vehicles comes for Rs 550, while it is Rs 600 for heavy motor vehicles, including the congestion charges of Rs 50 and Rs 100, respectively.

During the peak tourist season, it becomes a herculean task to get the permit as these are booked within minutes of being released online.

The permits till Wednesday were sold out on Sunday itself. To get a permit, details of the tourists and the vehicle have to be provided. A valid ID proof of the tourists and driving licence details of the driver have to be uploaded. The vehicle should not be more than 10 year old and must have a valid Pollution Under Check (PUC) certificate.

Even those with the permit have to wait at Gulaba barrier for scrutiny. Incidents of fleecing the tourists by those having permits have become quite common. Due to these reasons, many visitors to Manali are deprived of visiting the world-famous tourist spot.

Tourism beneficiaries have urged the government to approach the NGT to raise the daily limit of vehicles to Rohtang Pass.