Gujarat: Tourist places packed to the rafters during Diwali

The festive spirit gave a great fillip to the tourism sector of the state, leading several places — already packed to rafters — accommodate crowd beyond capacity.

The highest tourist inflow was reported at the Statue of Unity. The site, which has a capacity to accommodate 15,000 tourists a day, had to take in 25,000, forcing the Narmada district administration and the government to close the site on Monday.

The government released a communique to make people aware, stating: "The general public is hereby informed that the Statue of Unity opens at 9 AM and closes at 5 PM for visitors. The two lifts at the statue can carry up to 5,000 people a day to the Observation Deck (Viewing Gallery). All visitors are requested to plan their visit keeping in mind the time and the capacity of the infrastructure of the statue."

"It is a request to the people of Gujarat to plan their visits in a way so that there is no overcrowding, and no visitor goes disappointed," the government further added.

"The tourist footfall was unimaginable. We had left for the statue at around 5:00 am on Saturday, but the road leading to the site was heavily jammed for up to 15 km," Bhavesh Kareliya, a tourist from Vadodara, told DNA.

The pilgrimage sites across Gujarat — including Ambaji, Dwarka, Somnath, Palitana, Dakor — were flooded by tourists on Diwali and the New Year day.

The traffic artery was badly affected at Ambaji-Abu Road, even causing a major block for the ambulances. All hotels and dharmashalas also were packed during these days. The service providers also increased the charges manifold.