Roads leading to Himachal Pradesh’s tourist spot, Manali, are jammed with vehicles stuck in massive traffic jams stretching nearly 20 kilometers. Hundreds of people, lured by the fresh snow, flocked to the hill station; however, their dream trip soon turned into a nightmare.
Heavy snowfall led to severe traffic disruptions, power outages, road blockages and widespread stranding of tourists and locals.
“Ban Instagram Reels and Half the Crowd Disappears”
Reacting to the situation in Manali, a social media user who goes by the name Rattan Dhillon and describes himself as an off-road enthusiast, claimed that an “Instagram reel ban” would make half the stranded crowd disappear.
He said that previously people were cautious about traveling in such extreme weather conditions, but now everyone wants to be “a part of it” and completely ignore the risks and even potential damage to their vehicles.
“This is pure FOMO syndrome in India,” he said.
He attributed the problem to the influence of Instagram’s media reels. “The fear of missing something or the ‘we’ve been there’ mindset makes people take unnecessary risks and forget basic safety and common sense. Frankly, if India bans Instagram reels, at least 50 percent of this crowd will disappear,” he added.
Read also | Tourists were stuck in 15 km long traffic jams after record snowfall in Manali
“Extended weekends are an IQ test”
Another social media user, Sumit Behal, echoed similar sentiments, joking, “Long weekend is an IQ test in India.”
“The smartest people plan their vacations for long weekends to the most common tourist destinations in India.
Traffic jams, expensive hotels and crowds shock the same group of people. A long weekend is an IQ test in India,” he wrote.
Tourists, locals describe harsh conditions
A tourist from Delhi told ANI, “The roads are blocked and it is extremely cold.”
Local resident Alam said: “The snow has piled up to two to two and a half feet and the temperature has dropped to minus 10 degrees. We are taking support from the fires. There are power cuts and the water in the taps has frozen.”
Read also | Heavy snowfall cripples Manali; tourists trek 20 km in the middle of a traffic jam
Fresh snow warning
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a fresh spell of rain and snowfall, accompanied by thundershowers, lightning and gusty winds, over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh on January 26 and 27.
On Sunday, the IMD warned of a fresh western disturbance in Himachal Pradesh, even as cold wave conditions continued in some parts of the state.
Read also | Top 5 places to visit in India during New Year holidays, from Manali to Varkala
Cold conditions were observed in Manali, Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur while cold wave conditions prevailed at isolated places in Una and Bilaspur districts.
(With inputs from news agency)
