Dehradun: To ease up the traffic congestion in the state, Uttarakhand Home Secretary Shailesh Bagoli on Monday held a meeting with the police and transport departments regarding traffic congestion in the state, especially in Dehradun and other big cities. 

“The Home Secretary directed the officials to prepare short-term and long-term plans soon to solve the traffic congestion. He directed the Traffic Directorate to improve the traffic system in all the districts, including Dehradun,” an official statement said. 

Identify New Parking Lots, Focus on Automated Red Lights 

Home Secretary emphasised on the use of modern techniques to remove traffic congestion. He said that the work done by other institutions and agencies working towards improving the traffic system should also be studied and included in their plans.

He directed them to focus on identifying new parking lots at places with more traffic congestion as well as the construction and paving of new roads. Enforcement should be increased to make commercial institutions, malls, restaurants, etc., use their parking lots.

The Home Secretary also asked them to work towards setting up mobile vending zones for street vendors in the city.He also directed the officials to streamline the red light violation detection system. He said that automated red light signals should be increased at intersections. Also, the automated mode should be kept on most of the time so that the system can learn the traffic flow and upgrade itself.

Uttarakhand Receiving Record Number of Tourists

In 2023, Uttarakhand saw an unprecedented surge in tourist arrivals, setting new records. Predictions suggest a further 20% increase in 2024. The state welcomed approximately 7 crore tourists, with the Char Dham yatra—comprising Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri—reaching an all-time high of 54.2 lakh devotees. The Kanwar yatra also attracted around 4 crore participants. This rise in visitor numbers highlights the urgent need for improved infrastructure and facilities to better accommodate the influx.