Haridwar, June 9 -- Massive traffic congestion has gripped Haridwar and Rishikesh due to the convergence of the ongoing Char Dham yatra, festive bathing events such Ganga Dussehra and Nirjala Ekadashi, and the summer vacation rush, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday. Since Thursday, the National Highway 58 - the critical route connecting Roorkee, Haridwar, and Rishikesh - has witnessed severe bottlenecks. Commuters are reporting delays stretching to over three hours during their journeys, they added. "Travelling from Haridwar to Dehradun on Saturday took me over five hours due to a diversion near Chiddarwala. The administration must consider opening the Mata Mansa Devi Hill Bypass during high traffic movements," said a local social activist, Gulshan Khatri. Har-ki-Pauri and its surrounding routes have seen long queues of vehicles, with travel time stretching up to an hour, compared to the usual 10-15 minutes, officials said. Local resident Abhishek Bhagat said traffic was moving at a snail's pace particularly through key choking points, including Bahadarabad, Singh Dwar, Rishikul, Shankaracharya Chowk, Pantdweep parking, Shantikunj, Motichur, and Nepali Farm. Haridwar SSP Pramendra Dobhal, along with senior officers and traffic personnel, has been on the ground since Saturday managing the situation. "We have increased deployment of police, traffic staff, and home guards. CCTV surveillance is helping us monitor and decongest critical points," Dobhal added....