Garhwal Post Bureau
Mussoorie, 21 May: With the onset of the tourist season, tourists and locals—who have been plagued by rising traffic congestion and vehicle queues stretching for hours in Mussoorie—can now look forward to some much-needed relief. To alleviate traffic pressure within the city, the administration has decided to launch a shuttle service operating from Kincraig, with operations set to commence this Friday. In preparation for this, SDM Rahul Anand, Municipal Executive Officer Gaurav Bhasin, and Kotwal Devendra Singh Chauhan visited Kincraig to inspect the arrangements and held a meeting with parking operators and representatives of taxi unions to finalise the framework for the shuttle service.
SDM Rahul Anand explained that, under the administration’s plan, large tourist vehicles and Tempo Travellers will be halted exclusively at the Kincraig parking facility. From there, tourists will be transported to Library Chowk, Kulri, and other key locations via the shuttle service. The Kincraig Taxi Association will manage the shuttle operations from Kincraig to the Library area, while vehicles belonging to the Mussoorie Taxi Union will transport tourists from Bade Mod to Picture Palace. SDM Rahul Anand noted that the presence of large vehicles during the tourist season had been causing persistent traffic congestion within the city. In light of this, a decision to launch the shuttle service was taken during a previous meeting, and this initiative is now being implemented on the ground. He added that taxi drivers have been instructed to return immediately after dropping tourists off at their destinations to ensure that traffic flow remains smooth. The administration will also establish designated drop-off points in the Library and Masonic Lodge areas. Additionally, volunteers will be deployed to ensure the effective functioning of the entire system. Directives have also been issued to remove vehicles parked unnecessarily in the Kincraig area to prevent any obstruction to traffic movement.
Thanks to the efforts of District Magistrate Savin Bansal, a shuttle service had previously been implemented in Mussoorie, which proved successful in controlling traffic to a significant extent. The administration is hopeful that this arrangement will once again provide major relief during the tourism season.
