Musssourie traffic snarls upsets tourists

MUSSOORIE, 7 Jun: A massive traffic jam was seen in Mussoorie on weekend due to which people had to remain stuck in the jam for hours. A large number of tourists reached Mussoorie from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, due to which the situation worsened in areas like Gandhi Chowk, Mall Road, Library Chowk, Picture Palace and Kempty Falls. It takes two to three hours to travel two to three kilometers from Mussoorie. On Friday, an elderly tourist died due to a traffic jam in Mall Road. Due to the traffic jam in Mussoorie, tourists as well as local people are upset. He said that every year the administration and police prepare an action plan to get rid of the traffic jam during the tourist season and weekends in Mussoorie and when the plan is implemented on the ground, it fails. He said that the main reason for the traffic jam in Mussoorie is that there is a lack of parking in Mussoorie city, due to which people park their vehicles haphazardly on the roadside, which causes traffic jam. Many tourists said that they made a mistake by coming to Mussoorie. Some people criticized the situation by posting videos and photos on social media. Police had made claims of one-way traffic, barricading and drone surveillance, but they proved to be insufficient. People said that the administration and police did not have any concrete traffic control plan. No alternative route was opened for traffic. Despite the crowd, local transport or shuttle system was not activated. According to Ajay Bhargava, General Secretary of the Hotel Association, hotel booking was 60 per cent on Friday, which increased to 80 per cent on Saturday and Sunday. He said that the administration and police in Mussoorie have not prepared a concrete plan regarding the frequent traffic jams in Mussoorie. The tourists coming to Mussoorie should be allowed to come directly to Mussoorie and the traffic should be diverted while returning from Mussoorie so that the tourists do not face any kind of problem. The administration needs effective and long-term measures to provide relief to the tourists and local residents from the problem of traffic jams.