WATCH: Tourist Drives Mahindra Thar Through River In Lahaul To Skip Himachal Traffic; Gets A Challan

A video that is doing rounds on social media, a man can be seen driving a Mahindra Thar SUV through the Chandra River in Lahaul Valley. Since the water level was low, he had no problem driving through the river and beat the traffic.

Viral Video: At a time when tourism is at its peak in Himachal Pradesh and videos of long traffic jams have emerged from the hilly region, a person took his Mahindra Thar through a shallow riverbed allegedly to avoid the massive traffic congestion. In a video, which has now gone viral on social media, a tourist was seen driving his SUV through the Chandra River in Lahaul Valley. The water level of the river was not too high which allowed the SUV to cross it without much difficulty. However, the episode didn’t sit well with the locals after the video started doing the rounds.

Taking note of the video, the police issued a challan to the driver. Mayank Chaudhry, superintendent of police, confirmed that the vehicle involved has been charged under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Additionally, the district police have stationed personnel at the mentioned location to prevent similar offenses in the future. “Recently, a video went viral in which a Thar is crossing the river Chandra in District Lahaul Spiti. The said vehicle has been challenged under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and to ensure that no one commits such an offence in the future, the district police have deployed police personnel at the said place,” he said.

tourist driver mahindra thar through river in himachal pradesh to beat traffic jam amid Christmas 🎄 festival.. #mahindrathar #HimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/AQsLjHXcwM

— रामभक्त शुभम मिश्रा (@shubham46720161) December 26, 2023

For Himachal, overcrowding by tourists is an annual occurrence around this time of the year. Every year, the areas of Manali, Kasol, and Banjar/Tirthan Valley expect a significant inflow of vehicles, with tourists flocking to holiday destinations to celebrate a ‘White Christmas’. This year too, Manali and Shimla, are seeing multitude of visitors. Over the Christmas weekend, thousands of tourists flocked to Himachal Pradesh, with the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang becoming a prime destination alongside Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti.

In fact, over the past three days, approximately 55,000 vehicles went through the Atal Tunnel. While this surge benefits the hospitality sector, it has also posed challenges for administration in terms of management.