NEW DELHI: Amid reports of frequent traffic jams on Shimla roads, particularly during peak tourist season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the road transport and highways ministry and Himachal Pradesh government to explore provisions of parking for the tourists.The direction came during the last web-based interaction of PM with secretaries at Centre and chief secretaries of the state on July 12.Sources said National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the state government would jointly identify locations for such parking lots along the Shimla bypass. NHAI awarded the project. "There was a view that the state should put a proper feeder transport system to the city from these parking stations so that tourists can easily reach the state capital," said a source.Sources said without assured and comfortable feeder bus or any other transport service, building parking lot in the outskirts of any city won't help decongest traffic.Recently there were reports of heavy traffic snarl even in Nainital in Uttarakhand, which prompted the Uttarakhand High Court to direct hotels in the lake city to provide 60% parking space to vehicles in proportion to the number of rooms they have, else 50% of their rooms will be frozen. It had even directed the regional and state transport authorities to stop issuing any further permit for plying taxis to Nainital.Giving a push to the construction of Shimla Bypass, the PM also directed the Himachal Pradesh government to speed up the process of handing over the land. "State government should expedite the work of removal of structures, felling of trees and estimates for utility shifting. Ministry of road transport and highways, ministry of environment, forest and climate change and state government should expeditiously complete the forest clearance," the minutes of the meeting said.

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