Rohtang Pass, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh, is ready to welcome tourists as the district administration on Wednesday announced opening of the Manali-Rohtang Highway for vehicular traffic.
The 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass has been opened for tourists after a period of around six months, after the Border Road Organisation (BRO) gave clearance for opening the highway. A spokesperson of the lahaul Spiti administration said the highway to Rohtang had been opened with immediate effect and permits for the journey might be booked online.
Thousands of tourists camping at Manali are likely to move to Rohtang after the resumption of vehicular traffic on the highway. Though the district administration has opened the road for vehicles, the glacial point has been opened for a limited number of vehicles as the National Green Tribunal had put a bar on the entry of vehicles on the snow bound road.
As per the directions of NGT, only 1,200 vehicles would be allowed each day on the highway and this number will include 800 petrol and 400 diesel run vehicles.
Permits to visit the Rohtang Pass would be issued online on first come first serve basis before paying green fee at the rate of Rs 500 per vehicle and Rs 50 as congestion fee. Residents of lahaul & Spiti need not pay the permit fee but they would also have to pay Rs 50 congestion fee. Congestion fee of Rs 100 would be charged from heavy vehicles.
The Manali-Rohtang highway would be closed for vehicular traffic on every Tuesday as the BRO would undertake repair works on the road every week on Tuesday.
The opening of the Manali-Rohtang Highway has brought cheers to the tourism industry in the State as the industry is expecting a large flow of tourists to the State. Rohtang Pass fetches a good number of tourist every year. As per Dinesh Gupta, a hotelier in the State, Rohtang Pass is the only tourist spot in the State, which remains under snow cover for 10 months in a year. He said the hotel occupancy in the State was going to be 100 per cent in the coming days as the visitors to Rohtang also visited other tourist attractions in the State.
But as the route to Rohtang is blocked due to snow in winters, the tourists throng to the pass, when it is opened every year. The Rohtang journey is considered to be a big attraction for adventure lovers also as large number of youngsters like to travel to Rohtang on two wheelers too.
Opening of highway provides option to the tourists, who wish to see snow bound hill in summers as Shimla and Manali get snow cover in winters only.