As the news broke that Mussooorie and Dhanaulti had received snowfall on the weekend, hordes of people from several neighbouring states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh drove towards Mussorie but their excitement melted like snow as they encountered severe traffic jam on arriving here. Although police personnel were deployed, they were missing from the spot where people were struggling to get space to move ahead. With the meteorological department forecasting the possibility of snowfall again on January 14, those left disappointed this time could try their luck soon.
On Saturday when snowfall started thereafter people rushed to Mussoorie and most of the hotels and lodges soon got booked. It excited the hoteliers and other businessmen, who were disappointed due to delay in snowfall after new year celebration. They had made extra arrangements to cope up with the rush but local administration failed to manage the situation.
On Sunday tourists, who had checked-in at hotels in Mussoorie on Saturday, preferred to move for Dhanaulti but their excitement fizzled off when they came across a traffic jam of substantial proportion. The tourists, who had gone by taxi or with their local relatives, preferred to return because of the traffic jam. Tourists, who had stayed in Mussoorie, preferred to visit Gun Hill where the snow had not yet melted.
Talking to the Pioneer, Indu Arya, who had come all the way from Panipat in Haryana to play with snow, said that she came along with her family to see snowfall but their excitement vanished because of severe traffic congestion. She said that since Mussoorie is comparatively near to her place and due to weekend she decided to enjoy snowfall in Uttarakhand but could not even reach Dhanaulti.
Apart from the traffic congestin, youngsters and older adults were seen consuming liquor openly on the roadside, in some cases- also blocking the traffic because they had parked their vehicles improperly causing impediment on road. Although police claim that they had deployed police personnel, the effect of their preparations appeared negligible because from Dehradun to Mussoorie it was openly visible that people were consuming liquor openly in public place in violatin of the law. The police did not appear interested in tackling the roadside boozers, as a result of which the travails of the motorists were excacerbated. As the persons consuming liquor on the roadside were then also driving their vehicles towards Mussoorie or in the opposite direction, one can only imagine the public inconvenience and violations of the law committed by vehicle users inebriated on alcohol adding to the traffic jam.
At Kuthal Gate, tourists were asked by the police to drive to Dehradun via Sahastradhara.
Tourists were seen arguing with the police personnel but they did not allow most of the visitors to head onward as if they didn’t want tourist footfalls exposing the reality behind the claimed preparedness to facilitate tourists. Tourism is a major generator of revenue and employment in the state with the state government striving to revive it after the June 2013 disaster but the attitude of the police evidenced on the weekend has made skeptics question whether the state ‘needs’ tourists for real.