Tourist rush due to heatwave, summer holidays choking hills of Nainital

Heat wave drives tourists to Nainital, causing traffic chaos; police restrict entry to those with hotel bookings.

Heat wave sweeping across north India and children’s summer holidays are driving a large number of people from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana to Nainital, leaving the lake city of Uttarakhand choked with traffic. To control the situation, the police are primarily allowing those to enter town who have prior hotel bookings while people are being sensitised to avoid taking cars to the hills and use shuttle available from parking spots.

The tourist rush last weekend forced the Nainital police to make an announcement about the town reaching its capacity, and asking people to go back home, a video of which is making rounds on social media.

“Nainital is full sir, please go back home,” a policeman was seen announcing at a parking spot at Naraiyan Nagar.

The residents say they were unable to venture out during the weekend, which was clubbed with the Id holiday which made large number of tourists visiting the town.

“It took me 2.5 hours to reach Tallital from mall road, which is not even 2 km distance,” said Kartikeya Hari Gupta, an advocate who practises at Uttarakhand (Nainital) High Court.

Hoteliers say the problem is not tourists, but their vehicles.

“Traffic choking Nainital is a story that repeats itself every year, still, the administration and the government hardly take any lessons. Worst is that the government has started advertising Kainchi Dhaam as a big religious pilgrimage in Nainital, which is already flooded with tourists due to its lakes and picturesque hills. That has added to the traffic woes as one has to wait for at least 2-3 hours in parking or in traffic due to temple rush,” said Praveen Sharma, member of the Uttarakhand hotel association.