Viral video: Tourist drives SUV through river to beat traffic jam, fined
The widely shared video has sparked criticism from locals
Lahaul Spiti: The Himachal Pradesh Police on Monday issued a challan to the owner of an SUV for allegedly driving the SUV in Chandra River, Lahaul and Spiti after a video of it went viral on social media.
"Crossing the river Chandra in District Lahaul Spiticrossing the river Chandra in District Lahaul Spiti. To ensure that no one commits such an offence in the future, the district police have deployed police personnel at the said place, SP Chaudhry added.
Meanwhile, the roads connecting various tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh are facing considerable traffic congestion as a result of a substantial increase in tourists arriving for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Stuck in a festive gridlock, a Mahindra Thar driver found a watery escape, ditching the asphalt for the river's flow.
In response, the police in the Lahaul and Spiti district deployed drone surveillance to observe the traffic situation, uncovering long queues of vehicles causing road congestion and limited availability of parking spaces.