Stuck in snowbound Lahaul, 30 patients await airlifting

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, February 15

There seems no end to the woes of tribals of Lahaul Spiti. As many as 30 patients, six of them critical, are stuck at different locations in the snowbound district. The snowfall that was witnessed on Friday only compounded their woes. Fresh snow has hampered their airlift out of the valley for medical treatment. Apart from blocking roads with in valley, the snow has also snapped power supply lines.

The district headquarters Keylong received around 35 cm snow till filling of the report, while in other parts of the district like Udaipur, Sisu and Gondhla the snowfall is even heavier.

Sources said among those stuck are 13 patients at Udaipur, two at Tindi, six at Baring and seven at Satingri. Indisposed, they are battling for life. The residents of the district are on the tenterhooks waiting desperately for the snowfall to abate enabling flight service.

The critically injured Rigzin (85), who was brought on foot by villagers traversing 25-km distance to Keylong, could not be airlifted for treatment till now. He was admitted to the district hospital, Keylong, with multiple bone fractures. The victim fell down from while clearing snow from the roof top of his house on Monday.

Report says that a snow avalanche at Yangthang village under Jahlama panchayat damaged three houses badly. Nine houses have been damaged in the Lahaul valley so far because of avalanches.

Tourist hot spot Manali town received fresh snowfall on Friday, while Gulaba, Kothi and Solang received around 70 cm of snow.

Subhash Gautam, SDM Udaipur in Lahaul Spiti told The Tribune that heavy snowfall was being witnessed since Thursday night, which had blocked all routes within the valley once again. Power supply has also been disrupted. The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board had restored power supply in 107 electric transformers out of total 148 but after the fresh snowfall only 86 electric transformers are functional in the district.

Confirming the report, the SDM stated that around 30 patients, six of them critical, were waiting for the flight service so that they could be airlifted for better medical treatment. The district administration would be able to airlift the patients only when the weather conditions improved.