Travel advisory: Why you must cancel your trip to the hills right away

The much-anticipated Chardham Yatra 2024 is here, and as per reports, over 26 lakh pilgrims have registered for the pilgrimage.

However, the sacred journey has not been a pleasant one for a large number of pilgrims. Reports of the Gangotri-Yamunotri Highway experiencing massive traffic jams have surfaced. Several hours of delays were followed by protests from frustrated pilgrims. The congestion has been a major source of discontent, with pilgrims demanding accountability from the authorities for the lack of proper traffic management.

Due to the traffic jam, several pilgrims were forced to return without completing their darshan at Yamunotri Dham. A majority of the dejected pilgrims complained that this was a massive administrative failure. As if the lengthy traffic jam was not enough, the routine closure of temple doors after the evening aarti left thousands of devotees stranded without completing their visit. But the problem does not end here.

There is also ongoing road-construction work along the way that’s causing further problems for residents as well as travellers’ commute. On some stretches, pilgrims were stranded for several hours without basic amenities. This also led to several protests against the authorities. If reports are to go by, to make the matter worse, the authorities were absent in the area.

In Badrinath Dham, ongoing construction work has caused quite a stir in the sacred site. As per reports, a VIP gate was erected at Badrinath Nath which led to protests from local traders and visiting priests. It is important to note that the state government had earlier placed a ban on VIP arrangements in Badrinath Dham. The VIP gate was removed post protests.

Similarly, ever since the opening of Kedarnath Dham on May 10, more than 1.83667 lakh pilgrims from all over India and abroad have visited the shrine. The Kedarnath Yatra route, Byunggad, Fata, and Jamu in particular, have seen massive influx of visitors and subsequent severe traffic congestion.

Apart from the Char Dham Yatra, Uttarakhand is also on the radar of tourists from all over India, especially tourists from North India who are looking for cooler holidays this summer.

Especially on roads towards places like Nainital, Bhimtal, Mussoorie, and Dehradun, severe traffic jams were experienced. As per reports, tourists and travellers faced difficulties due to hours-long traffic jams in Bhimtal, Ranibagh, Bhowali, and Kainchi Dham. With the high number of tourists in these destinations, there is also an increase in the number of cars parked along the roadside. As local police didn’t bother to remove the vehicles, slight congestion quickly turned into a full-blown hours-long traffic jam. This caused several tourists to miss their trains.

So, if not Uttarakhand, where else to go this summer?

If you’re looking to escape the summer heat in India, Himachal Pradesh offers an excellent alternative to Uttarakhand. Places like Shimla, Manali and Dharamsala can be quite crowded in peak summer season, but offbeat places like Kalpa, Chitkul, Lahaul and Spiti, and even Ladakh are good options.