MC Thakur
Manali, February 6
Cold wave tightened its grip in the upper Manali region as Gulaba and its surrounding areas received a fresh spell of snowfall this morning.
Hundreds of tourists made a beeline for Gulaba and were seen enjoying by throwing snowballs at each other.
Vehicles were, however, allowed up to the Gulaba barrier only, 21 km from here, on the Manali-Rohtang Pass road. The snowfall has brought cheers to those associated with the tourism industry in Manali, as they are expecting an increase in tourist arrivals.
The 13,050-ft Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti, also witnessed fresh snowfall. The famous ski slopes of the Solang valley and Kothi received light snowfall this morning and it melted within a few hours.
Dark clouds that hovered over the upper region in the morning resulted in a fresh snowfall in the higher reaches. Although dry spell continues in lower areas, icy winds in the upper Manali region has brought down the day temperature.