Tag: tourism in lahaul

With hundreds of tourist vehicles parked everywhere on the road choking Atal tunnel – Keylong highway and the littering becoming serious issue, the growing tourist footfall in Lahaul valley has become a major headache for district administration. The problem expected to be increasing till New Year Eve, the Lahaul-Spiti administration has come up with a strict traffic plan for the valley, especially the tunnel area. Now parking along the highway will invite legal action. Tourists, after crossing the tunnel, will have to park their vehicles at Sissu helipad, 5km from the tunnel. The administration is also planning a permanent traffic plan for the entire valley keeping in view the expected rise in footfall. Tourists have made a beeline for Atal tunnel and Lahaul valley to see snow. Hundreds of tourists are reaching north portal of the tunnel. The area along the roadsides and close to Chandra river is covered with a thick blanket of snow. Tourists are leaving their vehicles parked on the highway and are going to enjoy the snow. This is resulting in serious traffic chaos. Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Pankaj Rai has formed a committee to keep a check on tourism and cleanliness in the district. The SP, SDMs, BDO, CMO, divisional forest officer, executive engineers of PWD and Jal Shakti department and head of all departments have been made its members. DC and members of the committee on Wednesday visited the area between Sissu and the tunnel to check the situation. “Given the possibility of increase in tourist inflow during Christmas and New Year, the area from Atal tunnel to Sissu has been made a no parking zone starting from December 25. If tourists want to stop at any place between tunnel and Sissu, they will have to send their vehicle to Sissu helipad where we have