Tourist boom threatens to swamp Indian mountain town where Dalai Lama took refuge

McLeod Ganj is a magnet for domestic holidaymakers fleeing scorching temperatures. But their cars choke the streets and new hotels stretch scarce water supplies

SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj’s narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music. The powerful vehicles soon get stuck in the traffic near Kalachakra temple, the place of worship of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

“You can be stuck in this traffic easily for two hours,” says a frustrated local taxi driver, not keen to share his name.

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Tourist boom threatens to swamp Indian mountain town where Dalai Lama took refuge

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