Residents of Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie, along with stakeholders and experts on Sunday called for an urgent and comprehensive master plan to address the challenges faced by the hill station due to increased strain by rising tourist inflow and over-crowding.Locals say the town’s infrastructure has been pushed far beyond its sustainable carrying capacity. (HT Sourced Photo)Locals say the town’s infrastructure has been pushed far beyond its sustainable carrying capacity, resulting in persistent traffic congestion, an acute parking shortage and illegal construction activities across the hill station.Environmentalists and urban planners warn that without a long-term plan, the fragile ecology of the region could face irreversible damage.Stakeholders said the weekend influx of tourists from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh overwhelms local traffic management and causes severe congestion at key bottlenecks such as King Craig-Zero Point, Gandhi Chowk-Kempty Road, Picture Palace-Upper Mall Road and Spring Road-Motilal Nehru Marg.Police said these areas require immediate attention to ease the recurring traffic gridlock.In an attempt to address the growing crisis, the Mussoorie Traders Welfare Association (MTWA) submitted a detailed 25-point proposal to the tourism department following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Pravesh Pant over the parking-related chaos in the jurisdiction of the Mussoorie Municipal Council.MTWA president Rajat Agarwal said the proposal focuses particularly on the Landour Cantonment area, which experiences the highest tourist traffic. “To address the issue, the association has suggested widening the road stretch from Lal Tibba and Sister Bazaar to Char Dukan and Mullingar,” said Agarwal.He added that the blueprint proposes implementing a one-way traffic system in the cantonment area by developing an alternate route from Sister Bazaar to Jabarkhet Road. The plan also includes constructing a dedicated parking facility for at least 300 vehicles on government land within the Landour Cantonment to curb roadside parking.“The association also identified several strategic locations that could serve as high-capacity parking hubs, including vacant land near Jain Dharmshala with space for around 500 vehicles and a site in front of Hotel Himalaya Castle that could accommodate more than 100 cars,” Agarwal said.Additional parking sites proposed by the association include municipal land at Mullingar, South Road, North Road near Ghantaghar and Bakery Hill. The latter has been suggested as a multi-purpose structure with staff quarters on the lower levels and two floors dedicated to parking.The traders’ body also recommended constructing a multi-storey parking facility specifically for Mussoorie’s nearly 2,000 registered taxis to prevent them from occupying roadside spaces across the town.It also suggested introducing “smart parking” systems and developing multi-level parking facilities on the lines of those in Dehradun.MTWA treasurer Nagendra Uniyal said the proposal further recommends allowing private landowners to develop small parking facilities along with a complete ban on roadside parking across Mussoorie.Also Read:Lack of winter rain, snow threatens agriculture, apple cultivation in Uttarakhand“The association also proposed a policy for rental two-wheelers and suggested forming a joint committee comprising the district administration, the municipality and residents to review traffic issues on a monthly basis and monitor implementation of long-term solutions,” said MTWA general secretary Jagjeet Kukreja, adding that the current traffic situation is affecting the tourism-driven local economy.However, residents and environmental experts stressed that the hill station’s problems go beyond traffic and parking, and require a comprehensive urban planning framework.Mussoorie Municipal Board president Meera Saklani said a master plan for the town is crucial to demarcate constructible and non-constructible areas and guide development according to updated urban bylaws while protecting the fragile mountain environment.Environmentalist Vipin Kumar, recognised by the state government for his work on solid waste management in the Char Dham region, said the town’s infrastructure is crumbling under the pressure of tourist inflow far exceeding its sustainable carrying capacity.“A comprehensive master plan must clearly demarcate green zones and construction zones to manage limited resources effectively,” said Kumar, adding that the plan must strictly adhere to the Supreme Court mining ban in the 1990s to safeguard the region’s sensitive geography.Social activist Pushkar Singh Chauhan, a senior citizen from Mussoorie, said the government should prioritise preparing a master plan for the hill station, “an initiative that should have been undertaken long ago”.Chauhan suggested replacing outdated construction bylaws with modern regulations and enabling online submission of building plans to prevent illegal construction and reduce bureaucratic delays.Residents also suggested immediate measures to ease congestion.Camel’s Back Road resident Harinder Singh proposed developing alternative infrastructure instead of placing additional pressure on Mall Road. “Authorities should consider developing Camel’s Back Road and allow private investment for building parking facilities so that congestion can be reduced for residents and tourists,” he said.Assistant engineer Ajay Malik of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) on growing demand for planned development said preliminary survey work is already underway.“Currently, the survey of land under private forest estates is being conducted in the first phase. Once this is completed, a survey of the entire town will be undertaken to prepare the master plan for Mussoorie,” said Malik.