Jyotirmath: Amid blocked roads due to heavy snowfall in recent days, Uttarakhand’s Auli, an internationally recognized skiing hub, welcomes tourists on New Year with a different traffic plan.
During the winter season, Auli witnesses a huge flow of tourists, causing traffic jams. To alleviate traffic hassles for tourists, the district administration has made some arrangements. Tourists will no longer be able to drive their vehicles into Auli; instead, they can reach the destination by hiring taxis.
This plan has been implemented from 30 Dec
A large number of tourists reach Auli to celebrate the New Year, but due to the narrowness of the road and snow at many places, there is a traffic jam. To deal with this, District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari had instructed the Jyotirmath SDM to prepare a new traffic plan. SDM Jyotirmath Chandrashekhar Vashishth prepared a traffic plan by holding a meeting with the taxi union, police and municipal officials in the tehsil on Sunday.
No tourist vehicle allowed in Auli
The tehsil administration has prepared a new traffic plan to eliminate traffic jams on the Jyotirmath-Auli road. Tourists coming to Auli to celebrate New Year will not be able to take their vehicles to Auli. Instead, they will be transported from Ravigram Ground in Jyotirmath to Auli via local taxis.
Fare has been fixed
The SDM said that tourists will be sent to Auli by taxi. The fare rate for this has been fixed. The fare for one way is fixed at Rs. 2500 per day while the fare for one way is Rs. 1500. Five passengers will travel in one vehicle. Tourist vehicles will be parked at Ravigram ground. SDM Chandrashekhar Vashisht said that more vehicles plying on Auli road causes traffic jams. Therefore, this plan has been prepared.
Avalanche warning, administration issued alert
In light of the avalanche warning for the high-altitude areas of Chamoli district, the administration has issued an alert on Sunday evening. Therefore, tourists and locals are advised to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel. The Defense Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) in Chandigarh has issued an orange alert (danger level-3) for the next 24 hours for areas above 3,000 meters in Chamoli. The warning suggests a sudden rise in river levels due to avalanches. Consequently, police and disaster management teams have been mobilized at various tourist spots in Chamoli. Additionally, the forest and police departments have been instructed to allow trekking groups only when weather conditions are favorable.
Along with this, Chamoli disaster management officer Nand Kishore Joshi has advised the local people along with the hydroelectric project company at the district level to be cautious. He said in the alert that necessary steps should be taken for the safety of the personnel and workers working in the projects under construction in avalanche-prone areas.
