The Himachal Pradesh police on Sunday informed that a record 3,950 vehicles passed through the Atal Rohtang tunnel on March 13. The earlier record was made on New Year’s Eve when 5000 vehicles passed through the Rohtang tunnel on a single day.
Superintendent of Police, Kullu, Gaurav Singh said, “Police have geared up to ensure a hassle-free and seamless movement of the vehicles through the Atal Rohtang Tunnel. We have made all possible arrangements for managing the traffic mobility and also taking care of the safety of the travellers”.
He said that there are chances of numbers of tourists growing in the coming summers. For this, the police and district administration is working out different plans to avoid congestion, hold-ups, and at the same time averting any kind of chaos on the north portal towards Lahaul-Spiti.
He hinted at the possible diversion of some traffic towards Gulaba, Mari and Rohtang Pass once the road gets cleared.
“But the choice of route will be left up to the tourists to decide”, he added.
Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul-Spiti, Pankaj Rai, said he had been getting a lot of calls from tourists seeking information about unrestricted entry to the district.
“We only impose certain restrictions when there is a forecast about snowfall or avalanche. Otherwise, the tourists are welcome to visit Lahaul-Spiti and enjoy the beauty of the area. The snow festival is already underway which is a major attraction. Next year, we are expecting a lot more activities in the winters”, he said.
The Rohtang Tunnel was commissioned on October 3, 2020 and since then the tourist influx in Kullu-Manali has increased manifold.
Anoop Thakur, president of Manali Hoteliers Association said, “We have written to the government to organize a tourism trade fair cum-conclave at Manali in March or April 2021 to promote sustainable tourism in Manali by inviting the travel agents from all over India and abroad. This will help in hard selling the tourists destinations in Himachal Pradesh after the Covid-19 lockdown”.
