Rohtang Pass closed for tourists every Tuesday

“Every Tuesday, the Rohtang Pass will be closed for tourists for nine hours from 9 am onwards due to ongoing widening work on the National Highway-21 that goes through the pass,” Kullu Deputy Commissioner B M Nanta said.

Only emergency and government vehicles, including Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses, will be allowed to cross the Rohtang Pass on Tuesday, he added. “The tourist vehicles from Manali would be stopped at Kothi (about 30 km from Manali) and would be allowed to proceed towards the Rohtang Pass only after 6 pm.

“It (the Rohtang Pass) would remain out of bounds for tourists till the completion of the widening work of roads,” the official said. The Rohtang Pass, which is 52 km from here, is a major attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists.

According to the tourism department, over 150,000 tourists, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, have been to the Rohtang Pass since its reopening in April this year. For more than six months, the Rohtang Pass remains cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall.