The lack of proper parking facilities has resulted a large traffic congestion in the market areas along the Char Dham Yatra route to the utter inconvenience of the pilgrims. The Yatra countdown has begun already, but things remained the same with the administration in slumber on the problem. Traffic pile-up was also witnessed at Chamba that fell on the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi National Highway where the pilgrims were locked in the traffic congestion and they remained stranded for over two hours.
The vehicles attending the marriage ceremony are facing the brunt of the daily occurrence of traffic snarls, resulting in their reaching for the ceremony at Chamba much late. The main reason for traffic congestion at Chamba, Ghansali, Nainbagh and lambgaon-all located in district Tehri - is the absence of adequate parking facility or a proper bus/taxi stand. Many market areas that fall along the Char Dham Route do not have adequate parking space, resulting in loss of time for the pilgrims heading towards Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
The pilgrims enroute for Yamnotri get caught in the snarl at Nainbagh which also does not have adequate parking space. The taxi/jeep owners park their vehicles on the side of the road here, making it difficult for the pilgrims to pass through, sans trouble and this despite the creation of By-pass road at Chamba and Ghansali in Tehri district.
The local traders lamented that due to the traffic pile-up in front of their shops occurring almost daily and going on for hours, the pilgrims prefer to move ahead, thus resulting in their incurring losses. The president of Vyapar Sabha Chamba, Sanjay Bahuguna demanded the administration to streamline the traffic by providing for separate parking facilities for the taxi and jeep owners so that the road remains free of any congestion. When contacted, the station In-charge Chamba police DS Chauhan said that traffic police officials will be posted at the main crossroads at Chamba to ease the flow of traffic during the yatra season. He also said that vehicles parked on the roadside illegally would be fined to ensure such obstructions do not recur.