Vehicle access to Marhi resumes on April 21

The administration has announced that vehicle movement to Marhi, a popular tourist destination located between Manali and Rohtang Pass, will resume tomorrow. Manali SDM Raman Sharma confirmed that a joint inspection of the Manali-Marhi road was conducted on April 17 by the Manali DSP and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials. The inspection found infrastructure like parking spaces, mobile toilets and dustbins at Marhi to be in good condition, leading to the decision to allow traffic beyond Gulaba.

Vehicular movement beyond Gulaba had been suspended since November 30 last year. In 2024, access to Marhi resumed on May 16, while Rohtang Pass was reopened on May 24. This year, however, traffic to Marhi is being restored nearly a month earlier.

The Gulaba barrier will now be shifted to Marhi, permitting vehicles to reach up to the paragliding take-off site. However, traffic beyond Marhi to Rohtang Pass will remain suspended until further notice. The BRO has announced that Rohtang Road will remain closed every Tuesday for routine maintenance.

As per National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines, the daily limit for vehicles beyond Gulaba is capped at 1,200—comprising 800 petrol and 400 diesel vehicles. Online permits are mandatory and can be obtained through the official website by paying a fee of Rs 500 per vehicle along with a Rs 50 congestion charge.

Meanwhile, Marhi now features a modern eco-friendly market with 16 stalls, built at a cost of Rs 7.23 crore and operational since October 2022. All construction and tourism-related activities in the area must have prior NGT approval. Only limited adventure activities on the snow are allowed.

Rohtang Pass remains a globally popular tourist site, especially due to its extended snow cover lasting until September. While it earlier saw nearly 5,000 vehicles daily during peak season, the new traffic cap limits this number to 1,200. Since the opening of the Atal Tunnel in October 2020, many tourists have preferred snow destinations like Sissu and Koksar in Lahaul Valley, bypassing permit requirements and high taxi costs linked with Rohtang Pass.

Himachal Tribune