Shimla sees season’s coldest night at minus 0.4°C

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 24

The state capital, limping back to normalcy after moderate snowfall, experienced the coldest night of the season yesterday with the mercury dipping to minus 0.4 degrees Celsius.

Locals had a tough time as newspapers and other essentials commodities like milk, bread and vegetables could not reach several areas in the morning. Over 250 persons, stranded between Matiyana and Theog, 50 km from here, were brought to Shimla after clearing the snow.

“The administration arranged their stay at a night shelter in Theog and Matiyana,” said Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap.

He said restoration work was on to open roads closed due to snow. “Most stretches have been opened, while some link roads will be opened to traffic by evening.” Shimla Municipal Corporation and Public Works Department officials are working in coordination.

“There is no shortage of essential commodities and 52,000-lt milk and 15,000 bread packets were distributed today, while 8,354-quintal rice, 9,759-quintal wheat flour, 9,034-quintal wheat, 776-quintal sugar, 12,592-quintal pulses and 63,883-lt edible oils are available in stores of the Food and Civil Supplies Cooperation,” Kashyap said, adding that 10,958 LPG cylinders, 29,383-lt petrol and 88,133-lt diesel was available with gas agencies and petrol pumps.

Meanwhile, tourists made a beeline for Shimla and upper areas to enjoy the snow and occupancy in hotels, which had dropped to 20 per cent, surged to 80-85 per cent. A good season is expected over the next five days due to holidays. Mashobra near Shimla received 12-cm snow while mid-Shimla town recorded 7-mm snow, followed by Kothi 5-cm, Keylong and Udaipur 3-cm and Kalpa and Sarahan 2-cm. Widespread rain lashed the state. The rain brought cheers to farmers in the mid and lower hills, but showers eluded more than 50 per cent cultivated areas of the state.

The minimum temperature dropped by a few notches and Keylong and Kalpa recorded minus 5.8 degrees and minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, while Shimla, Manali, Solan and Palampur shivered at minus 0.4 degrees Celsius. The day temperature also dropped further. Keylong was the coldest at 3.8 degrees Celsius, while Kalpa and Shimla recorded at 8.6 and 8.7 degrees Celsius.

CM takes alternative route to reach Anni

With a stretch on the Hindustan-Tibet National Highway covered with snow, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur took the Basantpur-Kingal route to reach Rampur. He is to go to Anni for the 48th Statehood Day function on Thursday.

Vegetable supply hit

• Locals had a tough time as newspapers and other essentials commodities like milk, bread and vegetables could not reach several areas on Wednesday morning. 
• Over 250 persons, stranded between Matiyana and Theog, were brought to Shimla after clearing the snow.
• Restoration work is on to open roads closed due to snow.
• The local Met office has predicted dry weather in the region over the next six days and warned of foggy conditions in the mid and lower hills on January 24 and 25.