Unprecedented jam in Nainital; demand for traffic regulation

With tourists flooding the hill town to get respite from summer heat that is scorching the plains, Nainital witnessed an unprecedented traffic jam today.

Traffic moved at a snail's pace throughout the day.

It took children two to three hours to reach home from schools just two kms away.

The streets were jam-packed with cars and two-wheelers and the air smelled of diesel and petrol fumes.

People trying to reach hospitals had a tough time.

"It is high time the authorities woke up to the ever increasing traffic problem. Not only does it disrupt the lives of locals, there is also a danger of a calamity taking place due to the load bearing capacity of the overburdened hills being stretched," a resident, who remained stuck in the jam for several hours, said.

Attributing the sudden rise in traffic inflow to Eid holidays, Chairman of Nainital municipality Shyam Narayan said, "Something needs to be done immediately to regulate traffic entering the tourist town."

"The crowd of tourists is going to swell further in the coming days and the administration really needs to perk up if it does not want this nuisance to be a regular feature," he said.

Echoing Narayan, environment activist Ajay Rawat said, "The number of vehicles entering the town per day especially during the tourist season should be regulated and an area away from proper town be identified for parking vehicles."

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)