Dehradun and its twin hill city Mussoorie were brought to a complete standstill on Wednesday, as a confluence of festive celebrations and public events triggered unprecedented traffic gridlock across the region.
Perfect Storm of Events Halts Hill Cities
The simultaneous occurrence of Christmas celebrations, the ongoing Winterline Carnival, a Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti Nagar Kirtan procession, and various political protests created a perfect storm for traffic management. Despite an advisory issued earlier in the week by Dehradun traffic police, which remains in force till Sunday, the sheer volume of events overwhelmed the arterial roads.
The advisory had outlined specific parking arrangements near malls and major landmarks, along with route diversions for tourists to avoid the busy Rajpur Road in Dehradun. However, the planned measures proved insufficient against the day's heavy congestion.
Commuters Face Hours of Delays
Commuters reported extensive delays, particularly during the afternoon hours when religious processions and protests were at their peak. Roshan, an auto-rickshaw driver, shared his ordeal, stating, "I was stuck at Buddha Chowk for nearly 20 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic because of a Nagar Kirtan procession." He questioned the timing of the event on a day already marked by heavy Christmas traffic near a prominent church.
The situation deteriorated further in the evening. Mishka Negi, a resident of Malsi, reported that a usual 10-minute drive to a mall near Jakhan took over half an hour on Thursday. "Mussoorie Road and Rajpur Road were flooded with vehicles. Despite manual policing, traffic crawled due to the sheer volume," she said.
Police Response and Tourist Influx in Mussoorie
Traffic officials acknowledged the challenges but maintained that the congestion was largely confined to specific periods. Lokjeet Singh, SP (Traffic), Dehradun, stated, "We were expecting high vehicle volumes, especially in market areas and around city malls. Policing was intensified. Except for afternoon disruptions caused by processions, traffic remained manageable."
In Mussoorie, the dual attraction of the Christmas holiday and the Winterline Carnival led to a massive surge in tourist footfall, resulting in severe jams. Critical points affected included:
- Gandhi Chowk
- Picture Palace
- Landour and Mullingar
- Motilal Nehru Road
- The stretch from Gandhi Chowk to Kempty bus stand
A resident highlighted continuous congestion from Landour Chowk to Mullingar as tourists headed towards Lal Tibba. At Gandhi Chowk, a queue of vehicles stretched nearly one kilometre up to Kunj Bhawan. Sunil Rastogi, a Dehradun resident, experienced the snarls firsthand, taking almost 30 minutes to travel just two kilometres from Kincraig to Gandhi Chowk.
The long weekend is expected to keep traffic pressure high, with authorities urging commuters and tourists to plan their travel carefully, adhere to the police advisory, and expect delays on key routes.
