AFZAL HUSSAIN FAUJI/ Nainital
A long weekend brought a massive crowd to Nainital on Saturday, following a steady tourist build-up since Friday. Visitors flocked to popular landmarks, including Mall Road, Naini Lake, Bhotia Market and Snow View. With the increasing number of tourists, the traffic pressure on the city and surrounding roads also increased with tourists remaining stuck in traffic snarls for hours on many routes. Arbitrarily fixed hotel rates added to their woes.
A tourist from Delhi, Anjali complained about the traffic ordeal. “The place is extremely crowded and the traffic logjams are making it difficult to reach nearby tourist destinations,” she said.
Another tourist from Delhi, Arjun said that it had taken about five to six hours to travel a distance of five to six kms. “Things looked quite bad on the roads, which forced me to cancel my trip to Kainchi Dham. Adding to our woes, the hotel owners have increased rates. They are much higher than normal,” he added.
Priya from Pune looked disturbed about the traffic pile-up. “I made it to Kainchi Dham with much difficulty due to the traffic jams. Given my experiences, I will advise the tourists to come after inquiring about traffic and hotel availability,” she said.
Another Delhiite, Mukul Anand complained about his hotel booking. “Upon arriving in Nainital late at night, I encountered traffic jams. Then, despite a prior booking, the hotel did not provide me with a room. I was then shown a room at another hotel, but I did not think it fit for staying. What is more, I was refused a refund,” he said, adding that he would file a police complaint.
Queried, the Nainital Hotels and Restaurant Association said that action should be taken against over rating. The president of the association, Digvijay Singh Bisht said that high-rate complaints have been received from tourists. “We have discussed the matter with the administration. While the registered hotels charge according to the prescribed categories and regulations, some unregistered homestays, guest houses and other properties have reported arbitrary rates. We want action taken against them,” he said.
He also demanded better traffic and parking arrangements in the lake city during the festive period from Navratri and Dussehra.
