By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Uttarakhand is virtually in gridlock as an unprecedented rush of pilgrims and tourists to the Char Dham shrines and popular destinations including Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Nainital and Kainchi Dham has brought traffic on several key routes to a crawl.
The October 2 Gandhi Jayanti holiday, followed by the weekend, has triggered a massive influx of visitors, particularly from Delhi-NCR, with people using the extended break to head to Uttarakhand for pilgrimage as well as tourism. Hotels in several popular destinations are packed, while roads are witnessing long serpentine queues of vehicles. At several places, travellers have been forced to remain stuck in traffic for four to five hours.
“People are also coming to Badrinath in large number to perform shradh,” said a police official deployed in Badrinath shrine area. Several parts of the state are witnessing long traffic snarls.
The situation is particularly acute around Kainchi Dham, where a massive influx of devotees has put the Bhimtal-Bhowali-Kainchi corridor under intense pressure. The Nainital police, under SSP Manjunath T.C., have deployed personnel at major junctions and tourist spots and introduced diversions and shuttle services to manage the rush. In view of the continuing rush, SSP Manjunath said the police will introduce a one-way exit traffic plan from October 4 to ensure smoother movement of vehicles leaving the Kainchi Dham area.
Police personnel from traffic, CPU, police stations and outposts have been deployed at key points to regulate movement and guide tourists and pilgrims. The police have appealed to motorists to avoid unnecessary overtaking and lane changes, refrain from roadside parking and follow instructions issued by traffic personnel.
The traffic crisis is not confined to Nainital. Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar and other major tourist and pilgrimage centres have also witnessed a sharp increase in traffic, with several routes experiencing long queues as visitors make the most of the extended holiday and improving weather.
The Char Dham rush has further added to the pressure. More than 39,500 pilgrims visited the Char Dham shrines and Hemkund Sahib on October 2, following a footfall of more than 42,000 the previous day.
The yatra had been suspended on September 26 and 27 because of adverse weather but resumed after conditions improved. With the pilgrimage season entering its final phase and the extended holiday bringing a fresh wave of visitors, Uttarakhand’s roads are facing an extraordinary convergence of pilgrim and tourist traffic.
The unprecedented rush has left hotels in several destinations packed and roads brimming with vehicles, turning the extended Gandhi Jayanti weekend into a major traffic-management challenge for the state.