The tourist rush this summer

Summer 2017 has been unprecedented. The tourists who descended on Himachal this time must have breached all the previous records. Manali, Shimla, Dharamsala and other popular hill towns were hard pressed to absorb the pressure. Traffic jams, long queues, and scarcities of rooms, parking places, water and of other basic daily human needs turned the summer tryst with Himachal into a nightmare, instead of a pleasant escape from sun-scorched plains, for many a tourist. On my way to Katrain (a small township on way to Manali) on 23^rd June, I was caught in a terrible traffic snarl near Bhuntar for 1 ½ hours. And as I could see,  the vehicles that dominated the long serpentine line had Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Rajasthan and UP number plates. True to their salt, quite a good number of these travellers, particularly those from Panjab and Haryana, tried to muscle their way in, only compounding the misery and suffering for all.

Palampur, Baijnath and other adjoining Kangra towns were no exception. And expectedly so.  And once again our inability to cope up with the tourist pressure came to the fore. The roads were chock-a-block with vehicles, the hotels were overflowing with the visitors and the Neugal, Awa, Binwa khuds had hundreds of visitors having fun in the icy cool waters fed by the snows from our mighty Dhauladhar.

The tourists will keep coming. Vehicular congestion will grow day by day. Traffic jams will become more frequent and longer. Will we ever draw lessons from our failures and shortcomings to improve the situation in the coming seasons? Or will it keep going from bad to worse with each passing year? And as to what needs to be done, I have already said more than enough in my blogs posted on 14 April 2017 and 29 April 2017.

To that I would just add that, as rightly suggested by my friend Dr R G Sud, Palampur (and other towns as well) is now in urgent need of zebra crossings at various points on the busy roads passing through the bazaar. For instance, we certainly need a zebra crossing near the civil hospital, one at the main intersection (near Gobind sweet shop), another one at the Subhash/Nehru Chowk and likewise at a couple of other points.

Since this is not such a difficult task, we hope the administration will address the problem expeditiously.

                                                         

The tourists' swarm at the Neugal khad ( The brilliantly clicked pics are courtesy: Dr R G Sud)

                              
                               *

झपकी भर देखा आज एक ख़ूबसूरत सा नज़ारा

आज अचानक झपकी  भर देखा एक ख़ूबसूरत सा  नज़ारा

 दिलकश सी मूरत, खिली सी सूरत,  दरिया का शीतल किनारा  

शहद में जैसे सनी हो  और दूध से   धुली- ऐसा था  वो साया 

चुने गुलों का अत्र  हो   घुला-  कुछ ऐसा लगा देख कर वो काया

पल भर के लिए था शायद यह आसमां का मानो धरती से  सँगम

या मानो कि निकल पड़ी हो यूं ही वीणा से कोई  सुरीली  सरगम

कितना कमल  सा सौम्य , शालीन वो चेहरा था

जिस पर मालती की कामुक महक का बसेरा था

इंद्रधनुष ने मानो अपना ही सब रँग दिल से  बिखेरा था

सवर्णिम किरणों ने हो चूमा कुछ ऐसा ही मानो सवेरा था

या शायद मीरा का ही कोई   सुन्दर सा भजन हो  ऐसा था वो नज़ारा

या कुसुम -नैय्या कोई खेता सखा या सजन हो  कोई दिल को प्यारा

आज अचानक झपकी  भर देखा एक खूबसूरत सा नज़ारा

  दिलकश सी मूरत,  खिली  सी सूरत, दरिया का शीतल किनारा 

                      

                  *

Quotes of the week

Trump's Paris (Climate Pact) pull out could push earth over the brink: Stephan Hawking (Deccan Herald) 

The most important PM of the world is coming:Isreali press on PM Modi's visit (Google news)

India will suffer greater losses  than in 1962 if it incites conflict : State-run Chinese media (Google news)

(India is) a land of tech billionaires, untouchables, breathtaking beauty and giant rats: Srinagar-born actress Joanna Lumley (Radio Times; Google news)

ICBM a gift to'American bastards':North Korea's dictator Kim(KCNA; Deccan Herald)

I can lynch you here: J&K Minister Imran Ansari tells MLA in assembly (Google news; The Indian Express)

                                              *

Random news headlines

'Little cub' galaxy may unlock secrets of early universe (Daily News & Analasys: Google news

Vietnam drills for oil in South China Sea (BBC: Google news)

India's response to the Paris Agreement: Plant 66 million trees in just 12 hours (Forbes:Google news)

Volvo cars to go all electric (Volvo Car Group Global media newsroom; Google news)

AAP's Kumar Vishvas in trouble for making derogatory remarks against women in Kapil Sharma show ( Google news; India Today)

Smoky drink leaves man with hole in stomach (Deccan Herald)

Parkinson's disease and skin cancer may be linked: study (Deccan Herald)

Menstruation doesn't affect brain function; study (Deccan Herald)

Smart phones are changing how humans walk:study (Deccan Herald)

Too many pictures in books hinder kid's word learning (Deccan Herald)

Indian parents spend around $19000 on child's education:study (Deccan Herald)


                                                       ***