The blistering heat across the plains, combined with the pull of the International Summer Festival underway in Shimla, has this season multiplied the crowd of visitors descending on the Queen of Hills. Eager to escape the scorching weather and soak in the festival, tourists are streaming towards Shimla in huge numbers. As a result, the capital's roads are buckling under the weight of vehicles, and the city's key stretches are seeing repeated traffic snarls.
According to Shimla Police figures, more than 30,000 vehicles are entering the city every single day, while over 3.5 lakh vehicles rolled into Shimla between June 1 and June 10. Even in the month of May, the city had recorded the entry of more than 7 lakh vehicles. As the tourist season peaks, the strain on the city's traffic system keeps mounting.
At several points within the city, vehicles are seen crawling along inch by inch. In particular, the stretch from MLA Crossing to the Vidhan Sabha area, Victory Tunnel, Lakkar Bazaar, Sanjauli, Khalini Chowk and the Lift area have emerged as major choke points, where long queues of vehicles persist through the day.
Extra Police Deployed to Manage Traffic
Shimla's Additional SP Abhishek said that in view of the steadily rising number of tourists during the Summer Festival, the police have put in place special traffic and security arrangements. He stated that around 300 police personnel have been deployed for the festival's security and other arrangements, while additional force has also been pressed into service to keep traffic moving, so that people face the least possible inconvenience.
He added that Shimla Police is continuously sharing traffic updates and essential information through social media, so that both local residents and tourists can be better served.
Special Advisory for Those Heading to Upper Shimla
The police have advised that tourists arriving from the direction of Solan and Chandigarh who wish to head towards Kufri, Naldehra, Mashobra, Narkanda or Rampur should use the Shoghi–Mehli bypass instead of entering the heart of the city, so that the traffic pressure on the main city can be eased.
A view of crowds gathered at the Ridge ground amid the rain was also seen.
The police have also made it clear that, amid the surge in vehicles, strict action will be taken against rule-breakers. If any driver overtakes wrongly, jumps the line or violates traffic rules, firm action will be initiated against them as per the law.
Tourist Rush Sparks a Boom in the Hotel Business
On one hand the traffic situation remains a challenge, while on the other the faces of those connected with the tourism trade have lit up. Hotel occupancy in Shimla has climbed to between 80 and 90 percent. Hoteliers feel that after a long gap, the summer season is witnessing such robust tourism activity.
The Summer Festival, the pleasant weather and the fierce heat gripping the plains have this time made Shimla the top choice for tourists. That said, with tourism gathering this kind of pace, the need to further strengthen the city's basic amenities and traffic management is also being keenly felt. It is worth noting that last night, amid the rain, Punjabi singer Gurnam Bhullar performed at the Ridge ground, and the crowd kept swaying through the drizzle late into the evening.
