The historic Ridge decorated with the colorful lights for the Christmas and winter carnival celebrations, in Shimla, on Sunday
SHIMLA: All the
tourists
appear to have Himachal on their mind this time, with an endless spiral of vehicles choking the roads leading to the various tourist hotspots on
Christmas eve
. While the state is witnessing a huge rush of visitors at all the popular tourist destinations, the 9.2-km-long
Atal Tunnel Rohtang
-- the longest one in the world -- situated at a height of 10,000 feet, is seeing a high footfall.
Despite there being no snow in Shimla this time, the 'queen of the hills' has seen the arrival of 55,345 vehicles in the last 72 hours. The police are working 24x7 to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Snow cover is a big draw for tourists, and members of the hospitality industry are hoping for a white Christmas despite the weather forecast of bright sunshine in the entire state on December 24 and 25.
In the past week, the temperature in Shimla has remained much higher than that in New Delhi. Welcoming the influx of lakhs of visitors, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said around 65,000 tourists were recorded at Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, on Sunday, with over 12,000 vehicles ferrying them.
He said that after the monsoon disaster wreaked havoc in the state and struck a blow to the tourism sector, the hill state is once again ready to welcome tourists. He also lauded the district administration and the police for their efficient management of tourist rush, especially at the North and South portals of Rohtang Tunnel even at minus 12 degrees Celsius temperature, and extending a helping hand to the few visitors who got stuck in the snow. . DGP Kundu said the local administration and the police have been working round the clock to manage the traffic smoothly at Atal Tunnel.
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