Chamoli-Badrinath highway jammed due to heavy influx of tourists

Chamoli: Vehicles are lined up for hours on the Chamoli-Badrinath highway in Uttarakhand on Wednesday as a result of the increase in tourists this season.

District Magistrate Swati Bhadoria said, “The main reason for the jam was closed petrol pumps in the early hours of the day, causing passengers to line up at the spot. The situation has been rectified and now the pumps will remain open in the mornings as well.”

“If the inflow of people is more than the capacity the city can accommodate, then congestion on the roads is bound to happen. However, we are resolving structural issues like shaving off the sides to make broader roads and granting access to petrol and diesel at shorter intervals,” added Bhadoria.

The region is witnessing a heavy influx of tourists due to the pilgrim season in northern India.

This year, footfall of Char Dham yatra pilgrims has crossed 15 lakh. The pilgrims come to visit the circuit of four ancient pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath – which is collectively referred to as ‘Char Dham Yatra’.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]