Haridwar: A massive influx of devotees turned Haridwar into a crowded hub on Sunday as the weekend coincided with Purnima. Thousands of pilgrims from neighboring states arrived in the holy city, leading to severe traffic congestion on major routes and within the city.
The rush had already begun on Saturday, with large numbers of devotees reaching Haridwar for a holy dip in the Ganga. The situation intensified early Sunday morning when thousands of vehicles from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh entered the city, causing long traffic snarls on the highways leading to Haridwar.
Major parking facilities, including Pantdweep and Rodi Belwala near Har Ki Pauri, reached full capacity as the number of incoming vehicles continued to rise. To avoid being stuck in traffic, many visitors diverted into the city’s internal roads, putting additional pressure on the local traffic network.
As a result, traffic movement was heavily affected in several parts of central Haridwar. Areas including Ranipur Mod, Rishikul Tiraha, Tulsi Chowk, Railway Road and Upper Road witnessed a large presence of vehicles from outside the state, leading to slow movement and congestion throughout the day.
Despite the heavy rush in the city, traffic movement on the highway beyond Sarvanand Ghat towards Dehradun remained largely normal, providing some relief to commuters travelling on that stretch.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation as thousands of devotees visited the city for religious activities associated with Purnima.
