The police stopped vehicles going up to Mussoorie from Dehradun after 6.30 pm on Saturday with the parking spaces in the queen of hills being filled. Hundreds of vehicles bound for Mussoorie were held up in the evening, resulting in disappointment for those who planned to ring in the New Year in the famed hill station. The commuters were sent back from various places like Kuthal Gate, Sai Mandir, Johdi Goa, Ballupur and IT Park. Police said that they were forced to go for the stoppage after the parking lots of the hotels and other parking venues in Mussoorie filled with vehicles.
Meanwhile, the district police had drafted traffic plan and some routes were changed to facilitate the commuters. The police administration had earlier made parking arrangements at library Taxi Stand, MDDA Park, library Chowk, Kempty taxi stand, multistory parking, picture place, municipal council parking, Kingrag parking place and South Road behind Clock Tower. However, all filled up by the evening.
The city roads faced a huge traffic jam with the vehicles carrying tourists from neighbouring states like Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh having started pouring in city in their droves on way to Mussoorie since thenoon. Traffic was seen moving at the snail’s after 12 pm.
Delhi native Aashish, found sitting in a car that got stuck at EC Road, Survey Chowk area, said that he along with his wife and two children had been journeying from Delhi to Mussoorie. “We started around 6 in the morning. Now we are stuck here. I wonder whether we would be able to make it to Mussoorie where we have planned to holiday for a couple of days,” he said.
SP Traffic DS Gunjyal said that in view of large numbers of tourists reaching Mussoorie to celebrate the advent of the New Year celebrations on Saturday night, a traffic plan has been drafted with route diversions being effected to ease matters on the roads. Adequate traffic police were deployed at important roads leading to Mussoorie to facilitate the commuters, he added.