Shimla, June 21 (PTI) Traffic jams due to a large number of tourists who were visiting hill stations for the weekends clogged the Shimla-Kalka National Highway at the Parwanoo toll barrier and Kandaghat area on Saturday.

Due to the scorching heat in the plains, a large number of people throng to the hill resorts of Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Chail and areas in Kinnaur district. The footfall increases significantly during the weekends in June.

Also Read | Sachin Pilot Slams Rajasthan Government for Arresting Congress Leaders, Says 'This Is Highly Condemnable, Malicious Misuse of Power'.

An additional police force was deployed to regulate traffic in both stretches but still long queues of vehicles were seen on the excise collection toll barrier at Parwanoo and Kandaghat.

At the Parwanoo toll barrier, vehicles stopped to pay entry fees and moved at a snail's pace. The road at Kandaghat being under construction caused traffic snarls.

Also Read | Past 11 Years Were 'News Reel', Real Film Yet to Begin: BJP Leader Nitin Gadkari on Lok Sabha Elections 2029.

The situation has improved and the vehicles are now moving, Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma told PTI on Saturday evening.

Tourist inflow to the state is heavy during the weekends and about 7,000 vehicles entered Solan in five hours on Saturday, Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said.

He added that 2.5 lakh vehicles have entered Shimla from June 1 to 9.

Tourists complained about the time wasted in traffic jams. "I just have a two-day holiday and one day is wasted in traffic," said Prateek, a tourist from Faridabad.

"Reaching Shimla or any other hill station for that matter is a tough task. The governments of tourism states should seriously think about making tourists' stay and commuting comfortable," said Mayank from Lucknow. He added that he was stuck in a 2 km jam.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)