Traffic jam in manali today

By Manjeet Sehgal: Manali in the hill state Himachal Pradesh has been experiencing traffic congestion from December 24 onwards after thousands of revellers thronged the town to celebrate Christmas. Long queues of vehicles were seen at Hidimba Road, Vashist, old Manali, besides other places in Manali. The 24 km long section of the highway connecting Manali and Atal tunnel is also experiencing traffic jams. Traffic congestion arose due to the mismanagement of the traffic. More traffic jams are expected on New Year's Eve as the tourist arrivals continue to be registered at Manali. Meanwhile, the local administration has divided Manali into eight sectors to manage the traffic. As Manali needed more parking places, the traffic police were not allowing tourist buses to be parked on the roads. The tourists have been advised to get the hotel booking confirmed, as 90 per cent of hotel accommodations in Shimla, Manali and other tourist destinations have already been booked. The fresh weather alert issued by the MET department said a western disturbance, which will be active on December 29, may bring snow and light rains in five Himachal districts, including Kullu, Chamba, Shimla, Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur. Meanwhile, the Himachal government, to facilitate the tourists, on Tuesday allowed the eateries to open round the clock till January 2, 2023. ALSO READ |

Manali, Himachal Pradesh: Tourists and locals in Himachal Pradesh were stuck in a 4-km long traffic jam on Manali-Solang-Nalla route on Monday where snowfall has slowed down the vehicular movement. "We have come here from Bengaluru to explore the mountains but there is too much traffic. We took a cab... but then ended up walking. We also faced difficulty in finding hotel rooms," Supriya, a tourist, told news agency ANI. Another tourist, travelling with his friends, said they hired a cab for Rs 1,200 but ended up walking with their luggage. "There is too much traffic. Our cab was stuck in jam and we had to get down," he told ANI. Kullu valley in Himachal is home to popular hill stations - Kullu and Manali. Manali received its first snowfall of the season about two weeks ago and tourist footfall to the hill town has increased since then. Hills overlooking Manali like Gulaba, Solang and Kothi have been experiencing moderate snow. Kalpa in Kinnaur district and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti have also experienced snowfall. As cold wave continues to sweep north India, Manali recorded a maximum temperature of 10.8 degrees Celsius, according to the weather office. While Kalpa in Kinnaur district registered a low of minus 2.9 degrees Celsius, Manali and Bhuntar in Kullu shivered at minus 3 and minus 0.8 degrees Celsius respectively, said Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Manmohan Singh.

Tourists and locals in Himachal Pradesh were in for a hectic morning on Monday after a fresh spell of snow resulted in a serpentine traffic jam spanning about 4 km on the Manali-Solang-Nalla route. Vehicular movement that was completely halted on the Manali-Keylong road – also the route to popular hill stations like Kullu and Manali-- in Lahaul-Spiti district, resumed Tuesday, news agency ANI reported. The state transport corporation will also resume the bus service between Keylong-Kullu. Manali received its first snowfall of the season about two weeks ago leading to a spike in tourism in the valley. Hills overlooking Manali like Gulaba, Solang and Kothi have been experiencing moderate snow. Kalpa in Kinnaur district and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti have also experienced snowfall. As cold wave continues to sweep north India, Manali recorded a maximum temperature of 10.8 degrees Celsius, according to the Meteorological Department. While Kalpa in Kinnaur district registered a low of minus 2.9 degrees Celsius, Manali and Bhuntar in Kullu shivered at minus 3 and minus 0.8 degrees Celsius respectively, said Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Manmohan Singh. In view of the severe cold and foggy weather conditions, Punjab's Education Department changed timings of government, aided and private schools with effect from Tuesday. "The timings of the primary schools would be from 10 am-3 pm while those of the Middle/High/Senior Secondary schools would be from 10 am-4 pm. The timings...

• • • • Manali Traffic Comes To A Standstill As People Throng In Large Numbers To Celebrate New Year Manali Traffic Comes To A Standstill As People Throng In Large Numbers To Celebrate New Year Manali Traffic Update: The roads were packed with cars as the traffic movement in several areas was impacted due to the rush ahead of new year's eve. Massive traffic jam in Manali ahead of new year's eve celebrations. Manali Traffic Updates: Himachal Pradesh’s Manali on Saturday witnessed massive traffic jams as tourists in large numbers thronged to the city to celebrate the new year. The roads were packed with cars as the traffic movement in several areas was impacted due to the rush ahead of new year’s eve. Manali is one of the key attractions at the time of the new year as the people in the plains want to celebrate their new year in the hills as they also expect to witness snowfall in December end. Several Cities Across Himachal See A Huge Tourist Influx Several cities in Himachal Pradesh are witnessing huge footfall as the new year celebrations are about to begin. Members of the hospitality industry told IANS that most of the hotels across the state have been seeing close to 95 per cent occupancy. “We are expecting to see good business this weekend and next week also seeing the influx of the tourist arrival and the booking enquiries we are getting,” Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Manager Nand Lal, who is posted in Holiday Home hotel here, told IANS. On ...