Kunzum Pass opens after 9 months
Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, June 30
After 9 months, the 15,060 feet Kunzum Pass on the Samdoh-Kaza-Gramfu highway was restored to light vehicles on Sunday. Due to the closure of the pass, residents of the area could not visit Kullu-Manali.
The pass had been blocked since September 23 following heavy snowfall. A large number of tourists were stranded at Chhatru, Bathal and Chandertal lake. Later, they were airlifted. The residents of the Spiti valley heaved a sigh of relief as the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has restored the road to traffic. They had been cut-off from Lahaul and Manali and had been waiting for its restoration since the beginning of June.
The people associated with the tourism industry in Spiti said, “Due to delay in the opening of Kunzum, the tourist season was hit this year. The tourists had no option than to visit Spiti via Kinnaur. Now tourists can visit Spiti from Manali and Lahaul directly.”
Ramesh Kumar of Kaza said, “We have relatives in the Lahaul valley. Due to the closure of the pass, we had been cut off from our relatives.”
“We are expecting tourists in the coming days because tourist destinations like Chandertal lake, Bathal and Chhatru have been connected with the road facility. It will boost tourism sector in the region,” said another resident Padma Dorje of Kaza.
Kaza SDM Jeevan Negi said the BRO had engaged its workforce and machinery to widen the road for the movement of buses.
Mangal Manepa, Regional Manager of Himachal Road Transport Corporation, Keylong Depot, said “Within a week, we will conduct a survey of road to ply buses on this route.”
