Manali, Dec. 18: A massive traffic snarl across Manali on Wednesday exposed gaps in on-ground traffic management as more than 1,000 tourist vehicles and about 100 Volvo buses enter the hill town daily during the Christmas and New Year season, officials said.
The situation deteriorated after four-wheel-drive vehicles were permitted to move beyond Marhi, prompting a surge of tourist traffic toward Rohtang Pass. Commuters reported little police presence at several critical bottlenecks, leaving drivers to manage traffic themselves.
“At many choke points, there was no one to regulate traffic,” said a commuter stuck near Palchan. “It took over half an hour to clear short stretches.”
Damaged sections of the Manali–Palchan road narrowed lanes and slowed movement, while illegal parking on narrow internal roads further aggravated congestion. Attempts to divert traffic through alternate routes such as the Log Huts road failed due to similar blockages.
Officials acknowledged the strain on existing resources. “We have requested additional forces to handle the situation,” Manali DSP KD Sharma said. “Nearly 200 extra personnel will be deployed from Christmas through the Winter Carnival for traffic regulation and security.”
Residents and tourists, however, said enforcement must be immediate. “Unless lane jumpers and illegal parking are dealt with strictly, this will continue,” said a local shopkeeper near Hadimba Road.
For those stranded for hours on Wednesday, assurances of future deployment offered little relief, as demands grew for visible policing and stricter penalties during peak tourist days.
