Weather woes: Tourists wait for access to Rohtang

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, MAY 1

The tourists will have to wait a little longer this year to visit the snow-laden 13,058 foot high Rohtang Pass as the district administration is yet to allow vehicles beyond the Gulaba barrier because of inclement weather.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had started the snow-clearing operation to restore the Rohtang Pass from Koksar on March 10. However, the weather remained adverse even after mid-April. Even today, higher reaches around Manali witnessed snowfall.

Last year, the BRO had launched the snow-clearing process on the Manali-Rohtang road from April 8 and had accomplished the task on May 3. Tourists were allowed after May 6 by paying the requisite fee imposed by the NGT. Last year the Kullu administration had reopened tourist hotspot Marhi, midway between Manali and the Rohtang Pass on April 15. However, this year the tourist vehicles have not been allowed to go beyond the barrier at Gulaba so far. The snow has already melted near Gulaba.

The beneficiaries of the tourism industry said that efforts should be made to restore Rohtang Pass at the earliest as was done before the opening of the tunnel in 2020. They added that earlier, the BRO used to start clearing snow to restore the Rohtang Pass from the Manali side in the last week of February and accomplish the task by the first week of May but after the opening of Atal Tunnel, restoration of the Manali-Leh Highway is being given a priority by the BRO.

The beneficiaries said that snow is a major attraction for the tourists visiting Manali. They added that Rohtang is a world famous tourist destination and the tourists even from distant places come here to enjoy snow activities. They said that capping the number of vehicles to the Pass was already a big blow to the tourism industry as many tourists are unable to visit the Pass. Now late restoration of the pass will further have a negative impact on tourist arrivals.

The operators of tourism related activities in Manali said that due to delayed restoration of Marhi and Rohtang Pass, the tourists are turning to Lahaul valley to witness and frolic in snow. They said that if the trend continues, then there will be less visitors to Rohtang and more will head towards the Lahaul valley.

Kullu-Manali Paryatan Vikas Mandal president Anup Ram Thakur said that the tourism department should ensure that the existing tourist attractions are preserved and better infrastructure is provided in tourist hotspots to facilitate the visitors. He said that more tourism spots should be developed around Manali to sustain the economy of the region.

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