Ranikhet

The Indian Express's Vidisha Kontemala writes that the congestion has prompted the Nainital administration to consider opening an alternative route to ease pressure on Kainchi Dham.

Nainital District Magistrate Lalit Mohan told her that the administration is considering a new standard operating procedure under which an existing bypass connecting the Kainchi area towards Almora and Ranikhet could be open to divert traffic.

According to Mohan, two factors contributed to the latest increase: the end of the monsoon season, which brings travelers back to the hills after the rains and the landslides, and the release of Hanuman Ansh, a film based on the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.

Vidisha writes that 24.34 lakh people visited Kainchi Dham in the first six months of 2026, compared with around eight lakh visitors in the whole of the previous year.