Moderate rain snowfall likely in Shimla, 7 Himachal districts; efforts on to restore power outages, 136 roads closed
Shimla administration cautioned motorists to avoid early morning and late night driving.
3 min read
Snowfall is occurring in the Dhauladhar mountain in Dharamshala, Rohtang Pass, Jalori Pass, Atal Tunnel, Sissu, Koksar, Lahaul, Bharmour, Dalhousie, Pangi, Churah, and Kihar mountains. (Express Photo)The Shimla district administration has urged motorists to avoid driving during early morning and late evening hours and blocked several roads in rural areas even as the weather department has forecast moderate rainfall and snowfall in the district over the next 24 hours and low visibility in urban areas.
The India Meteorological department has also issued a similar alert for seven more districts of Himachal Pradesh, including Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Kangra, Sirmaur, Lahaul & Spiti, and Kinnaur.
However, as heavy snowfall and rain continues in high-altitude regions of Himachal, the administration has closed 136 roads across the state, including three national highways. Although roads within Shimla city are open for all types of vehicles, 28 roads in rural areas remain blocked.
The Atal Tunnel Rohtang, connecting Manali to Lahaul & Spiti Valley, has been closed to traffic following snowfall in Solang Valley and nearby areas and tourists are prohibited from travelling beyond Solang.
The state also witnessed power outages in several areas in the past 24 hours as 65 transformers went offline, disrupting 18 water supply schemes.
The Atal Tunnel Rohtang, connecting Manali to Lahaul & Spiti Valley, has been closed to traffic following snowfall in Solang Valley and nearby areas. (Express Photo)
In Shimla district, where power supply remains disrupted in many areas, particularly around Longwood, officials stated that efforts are underway to restore at least 15 electricity lines.
Snowfall is occurring in the Dhauladhar mountain in Dharamshala, Rohtang Pass, Jalori Pass, Atal Tunnel, Sissu, Koksar, Lahaul, Bharmour, Dalhousie, Pangi, Churah, and Kihar mountains.
The police said that over 1,500 vehicles are stranded between Solang Valley and Palchan, and rescue operations are underway.
The IMD also forecast a cold wave-like situation for the next 12 hours in the districts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Sirmaur and Solan.
Those in the tourism and hospitality sector, however, said that the extreme weather conditions have not affected the industry.
“The occupancy in the hotels throughout the state has been going between 60 and 89 per cent these days. All thanks to the snowfall in the high altitude areas in the state. During weekdays we experienced around 60 per cent occupancy which goes up to 89 percent during weekend days,” Mohinder Seth, President Himachal Pradesh Tourism Stakeholders’ Association.
Among the roads in Shimla that have been closed are the Deha-Chopal road and the Rohru-Chanshal-Dodra road, which is blocked near Sungri.
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