Christmas traffic mess in Manali, record number of vehicles cross Atal Tunnel

Mad rush to the hills to celebrate Christmas led to massive traffic snarls in Manali and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh on Monday. Long weekend due to the festival saw lakhs of tourists throng to these two popular hill stations in North India for the past three days. Long traffic jam on roads leading to these places are all over social media, showing how people were stuck for several hours inside vehicles due to the traffic mess. Atal Tunnel, the world's highest single-tube tunnel above 10,000 feet, witnessed record footfall with as many as 42,552 vehicles passing through it between Sunday (December 24) and on Christmas (December 25).

Images and videos of traffic jam near Atal Tunnel has gone viral as thousands of tourists headed to Sissu in Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh. The valley has seen snowfall over the past few days which has attracted record number of tourists in the area during the Christmas holiday. With Manali still waiting for snow, most of the tourists decided to drive across the tunnel to the other side.

Drone footage recorded by Himachal Pradesh Police shows the Sissu valley overcrowded with thousands of cars parked near the helipad next to the Sissu Lake which oversees Chandra river. According to estimates, more than one lakh people have visited the valley in the last two days.

To tackle high influx of tourists during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the state police administration has issued guidelines for those driving to the hill stations. Sanjay Kundu, Director General of Police in Himachal Pradesh, appealed all tourists to prioritise safe travel practices and adhere to traffic rules. He said, “The local administration and the Police force of both the Lahaul Spiti and Kullu districts have been working commendably 24x7 to manage the traffic smoothly in almost minus 12 degrees' temperature and ensuring that everyone reaches safe at their destination."

Kullu Police also said they are keeping a strict vigilance through CCTV cameras and drones. It said, “Kullu Police is working day and night to ensure that the trip of tourists is safe, especially in view of slippery road conditions during the evening due to snow and black ice."

Shimla also witnessed heavy footfall over the long Christmas weekend. Traffic snarls were reported at the Kalka-Shimla highway on Monday with several vehicles stuck in traffic jam to get to the hill station.

Traffic jams are expected to continue till the next weekend during the New Year festivities. According to weather forecasts, Manali may witness snowfall during this time which could attract more tourists to the city. The state government, while welcoming the tourist influx, is ready to tackle the challenge in coming days by deploying police to manage traffic efficiently and crack down on vehicles flouting traffic rules.