Shimla, Oct 3,
Hiimachal Pradesh witnessed warm and partly cloudy weather on Saturday, triggering a sudden rush of tourists to popular destinations, particularly Shimla, Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda.
The influx came as tourists, many of whom had been waiting for the past three months amid frequent weather-related incidents during the season, found the improved weather conditions and holiday weekend convenient for travel.
Shimla witnessed heavy traffic congestion for the third consecutive day. The sudden increase in tourist vehicles overwhelmed the existing traffic management and parking facilities in the town. Most parking areas remained occupied, forcing many visitors to leave their vehicles at available spaces and travel on two-wheelers.
An ambulance carrying a patient from Solan also got stuck in the traffic near the railway station, highlighting the difficulties faced by emergency vehicles amid the congestion.
Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said the police were making efforts to regulate and divert traffic to ease congestion. Traffic was being diverted through Khalini from the Shimla ISBT parking area to reduce the pressure on the main road.
According to traffic officials, vehicles were taking nearly one to two hours to cover the stretch between the MLA crossing and Victory Tunnel due to the heavy movement of vehicles.
The traffic situation was also severely affected on the Shimla-Kufri road, particularly between Dhalli and Kufri, as a large number of tourists headed towards Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda.
Tourist Kanta Rajta said she remained stranded in traffic between Dhalli and Tollend for nearly two hours. She said the congestion had brought traffic movement almost to a standstill at several points.
Police personnel were deployed at major intersections and bottlenecks to regulate the movement of vehicles. However, the sudden surge in tourist arrivals exposed the limited parking capacity and traffic-handling difficulties in Shimla during holiday weekends.
The administration has been urging tourists to use designated parking areas and avoid unnecessary roadside parking to prevent further disruption on the already congested roads.
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