Mercury soaring high, tourist destinations like Dehradun, Dhanaulti, Chakrata and others in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand are now chock-a-block with tourists, swarming from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. They are coming in their hordes in quest of respite from the searing heat that has been scorching a vast swathe of northern India for the past few days. Dehradun being so hot with the mercury surging up to 40 degree Celsius, they looked a tad worried over whether they would find the hill stations as cool as they hope them to be. However, the businessmen based at tourist places are elated over the fact that the tourists are reaching there in large number.
Manish Bhatt, a local shopkeeper at Sahastradhara, said that the tourists are thronging around the tourist spots in their multitudes. “This happens during this time every year when the summer turns scorching. However, this year, things are more encouraging. As of now, the season has just started. We hope the number would go up as the summer continues. We are happy,” he said.
In Dehradun, a large number of tourists has been seen at Guchupani and Sahastradhara, the local sight-seeing spots. They would go up the hills to reach the cooler climes. However, Mussoorie-landour and Dhantaulti remain the craze. Schools being closed to spare the children the summer-induced suffering, they are found accompanying their parents up to the hill stations.
Trains, buses and other vehicles are over-brimming with the tourists. They are reaching Dehradun on way up to the hills which they hope are still cool and soothing. “We, the locals, are also ascending to the hill stations to get relief from the scorching heat we are experiencing even in Dehradun,” said Ranjan, a resident of Dehradun.
Sushmita, native of Ghaziabad, who came along with her family members, including children, said that they had reached Dehradun on way to Mussoorie. “We are exulted in the hope that the hill stations of Uttarakhand would provide us with respite for some days from the scorching spell we were suffering in our native place.
Things are congenial too as the school my children are studying in were closed for the summer two days ago. We would spend a week amidst the cool climate peculiar to the high altitude hill stations. From Mussoorie we would go to Dhanaulti too to savor the much –cherished coolness in summer ,” she said, beaming. However, in the same breath, she said Dehradun was very hot. “We did not expect Dehradun to be so hot. We hope that things would be soothing up the hills,” she said.
Ramesh Singh, native of Yammuna Nagar, Haryana who came to Dehradun on a two-wheeler along with his friend said that each year they came Dehradun on way up to the hill stations to spend a couple of days there.
“last year, I came to Dehradun along with my parents and other family members,” he said. “Uttarakhand dotted with scores of beautiful hill stations, the Government here should be more energetic to use the tourism potential to the full. The tourism infrastructure can be revamped. It would bring more tourists from near and far,” he added. He, however, looked a bit depressed as they had to face the heat here in Dehradun.