Heavy rush at Patnitop as mercury soars

Deepanker Gupta

Patnitop (Udhampur), June 22

As mercury continues to hover above 40 degree Celsius and educational institutions observing vacations, Patnitop — the famous hill resort of the Jammu region — is witnessing heavy influx of tourists.

Since the closure of educational institutions, a large number of tourists are thronging Patnitop and all hotels and guest houses in the area are packed to the capacity.

Long traffic snarls have become order of the day on the highway leading to the famous hill resort.

Every weekend, heavy rush of tourists is witnessed at the resort. Not only the highway from Chenani to Patnitop has been witnessing long traffic jams, but also the circular road at Patnitop remains packed with light motor vehicles.

“Since the beginning of summer vacation, people have started reaching Patnitop in large numbers,” said Ram Singh, a resident of Trikuta Nagar in Jammu.

“It is hot in Jammu. We planned to visit Pantitop and Sanasar on Friday, but the number of tourists here is beyond our expectation. It is nearly impossible to even get a room in Patnitop or Kud and the hoteliers are charging too much money,” he said.

Koushal Sharma, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association, Patnitop, said: “The mercury has crossed 40 degree Celsius in the northern plains…after many years we have witnessed huge influx of tourists and we hope this rush will continue in the coming days.”

Long traffic jams, however, are giving a tough time to the commuters.

The repair work on the national highway, in view of the upcoming Amarnath yatra, is only compounding the problems of commuters.