Manali, December 27
Locals in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday blamed the sudden surge of tourists, largely drunk and unregulated hooligans, at this resort known for its snowy landscapes and majestic mountains, for chaos and disorder.
They say that many visitors don’t wear face masks and practice social distancing and are enduring the worst of the tourist hordes after a Covid-induced breach of lockdowns.
A recent case of vandalism came to light last week when a group of young people from Delhi stopped their three vehicles midway at the newly opened Atal Tunnel, a new tourist attraction where parking a vehicle is a crime, and began doing clicking pictures, recording videos and dancing. This caused the obstruction of traffic inside the tunnel.
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A record 5,450 vehicles crossed the Atal tunnel on Sunday; 15 tourists arrested for obstructing traffic
“Tourism provides an incredible economic boost, sure, but the kind of people who come have to behave in a sustainable and responsible way,” said octogenarian local resident Devi Chand Thakur.
“Here come people without a tourist sense and it is causing problems for the locals.” Another resident, Kavita Thakur, blamed the increase in drunken hooligans, especially during the night. “You can see tourists dancing and drinking liquor in public places. It’s really difficult for us to go to the market alone these days.”
Police claimed that they had doubled up on their men patrolling outside clubs and bars and securing the parking of tourist vehicles at designated locations.
Seven tourists, mostly in their 20s and 30s, have been arrested for dancing inside the tunnel under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They have also been accused of spreading the infection.
The 9.2 km horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, two-lane Atal Tunnel, which has shortened the distance between Manali and Keylong, the Lahaul-Spiti headquarters, by 46 km, reducing travel time by nearly three hours, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3.
The tunnel has also ensured all-weather connectivity to the Lahaul Valley, landlocked.
Before the construction of the tunnel, the Rohtang Pass was the only gateway between Lahaul and Manali. The pass was normally closed for five months each winter due to heavy snowfall.
Travel agents here told IANS that a large portion of tourists living in Manali prefer to visit the villages located in Lahaul with the opening of the Atal Tunnel.
“Every day, around 1,500 tour vehicles travel to Lahaul through the Atal Tunnel to enjoy the snowy landscapes there,” explained a travel agent.
Suman Thakur, the head of Sissu’s panchayat in the Lahaul-Spiti district, said the region has seen a sudden influx of tourists with the opening of the tunnel.
“Since there is no proper arrangement to handle the abundance of garbage, the large amount of garbage left by tourists has started to create problems.” After a heavy snowfall on the roads, the local administration does not allow tourists coming from Manali to travel beyond Sissu, about 3 km from the north portal of the Atal Tunnel.
A day after Modi opened the tunnel, three accidents were reported with motorists driving recklessly while taking selfies.
The Border Roads Organization (BRO), a wing of the Defense Ministry that dug the tunnel at an altitude of 3,000 meters with great work and determination in a decade, had blamed local authorities for not deploying police to monitor the movement. of motorists. .
However, with serious objections raised by the BRO, the state government has now deployed the police.
With a maximum speed limit of 80 km per hour, the tunnel is capable of handling 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day. – IANS
