HC clears 2 Nainital entry toll points after 11 years to ease congestion

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has allowed the reintroduction of entry tolls at two points in Nainital to help manage rising tourist traffic, which has caused severe congestion, especially on weekends. Hearing a public interest litigation on the town's traffic system, a bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and justice Alok Mahra also ordered the formation of a special committee to monitor traffic, parking, and pavement encroachments in the city during a hearing on Tuesday.
Nainital SSP PN Meena appeared in court in person, and chief standing counsel Chandrashekhar Rawat represented the state. The court sanctioned toll booths at Barapathar on Kaladhungi road and Phansi Gadhera in Tallital, which were operational until 2014 before they were discontinued on an HC order.
The bench underlined the urgency of executing the order to prevent daily traffic jams. Judges noted that while thousands of tourists visit the city each day, the number crosses into lakhs on weekends, creating blockages that even hinder hospital access. They said Nainital's narrow roads could not handle unrestricted vehicle flow and called for immediate corrective measures.
The court directed that hotel parking must be proportional to room capacity and asked for zebra crossings to be installed at key locations. It also stressed the removal of encroachments from pavements.
Rawat told the court that nine parking areas — DSA, near Masjid Tiraha, Anda Market, near BD Pandey, Metropole, Civil Court, KMVN parking, near National Hotel on Haldwani road, and Sukhatal — have been identified, with more sites under consideration. The court included the hotel association as a party in the petition. The next hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Amicus curiae Medha Pandey said there were no dedicated pedestrian walkways in Nainital and added that vehicles often occupy existing paths, putting elderly people and children at risk. She proposed developing peripheral parking spaces, given that widening roads was not feasible. Meena said a study to assess the vehicle load capacity of the city is in progress in consultation with geologists.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has allowed the reintroduction of entry tolls at two points in Nainital to help manage rising tourist traffic, which has caused severe congestion, especially on weekends. Hearing a public interest litigation on the town's traffic system, a bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and justice Alok Mahra also ordered the formation of a special committee to monitor traffic, parking, and pavement encroachments in the city during a hearing on Tuesday.
Nainital SSP PN Meena appeared in court in person, and chief standing counsel Chandrashekhar Rawat represented the state. The court sanctioned toll booths at Barapathar on Kaladhungi road and Phansi Gadhera in Tallital, which were operational until 2014 before they were discontinued on an HC order.
The bench underlined the urgency of executing the order to prevent daily traffic jams. Judges noted that while thousands of tourists visit the city each day, the number crosses into lakhs on weekends, creating blockages that even hinder hospital access. They said Nainital's narrow roads could not handle unrestricted vehicle flow and called for immediate corrective measures.
The court directed that hotel parking must be proportional to room capacity and asked for zebra crossings to be installed at key locations. It also stressed the removal of encroachments from pavements.
Rawat told the court that nine parking areas — DSA, near Masjid Tiraha, Anda Market, near BD Pandey, Metropole, Civil Court, KMVN parking, near National Hotel on Haldwani road, and Sukhatal — have been identified, with more sites under consideration. The court included the hotel association as a party in the petition. The next hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Amicus curiae Medha Pandey said there were no dedicated pedestrian walkways in Nainital and added that vehicles often occupy existing paths, putting elderly people and children at risk. She proposed developing peripheral parking spaces, given that widening roads was not feasible. Meena said a study to assess the vehicle load capacity of the city is in progress in consultation with geologists.