711 local tourists, 7 foreigners evacuated from Spiti valley

As many as 718 tourists, including seven foreigners, have been evacuated from the Spiti valley to Kinnaur in the past two days, according to Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, Rahul Kumar. These tourists were stranded in Spiti since February 26 due to heavy snowfall. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) managed to restore road connectivity from Kaza to Kinnaur, enabling the evacuation process.

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Fresh snowfall in Lahaul today further complicated snow-clearing operations. Traffic movement had been completely halted across the valley since February 26 with major routes remaining blocked. The blocked roads included the Manali-Leh highway between Manali and Keylong, Sansari-Killar-Thirot-Tandi road connecting the Lahaul valley to the Pangi region of Chamba district and the Keylong-Darcha road. The disruption in road connectivity has affected transportation services badly in the district.

Besides, the district has been facing significant power outage since February 26. While power was restored in Keylong two days ago, other areas remained without electricity, impacting daily life. The disruption in power supply also affected telecommunication services across the region, making it difficult for people to stay connected.

As of now, 237 electricity transformers in the district are disrupted — 41 in Lahaul, 57 in Udaipur and 139 in Spiti divisions. Out of the 165 roads in the district, including national highways, 163 remain blocked, cutting off the region from the state.

Kunga Bodh, a member of the District Council of Lahaul and Spiti, has appealed to the state government and the local administration to initiate emergency helicopter services for the district and other tribal districts for a few days. “Basic services like electricity, telephone and roads have been severely affected. Some youths, who are stuck in Lahaul, were to reach Ladakh for the Agniveer written exam on March 9, which is crucial for their future,” Bodh stated.

The Deputy Commissioner said that inclement weather had hampered the work to restore roads and power supply. However, he assured people that as soon as the weather conditions improve, the restoration work would be intensified to bring back to normalcy in the region.

Residents of Lahaul and Spiti have been grappling with disruptions due to heavy snowfall for the past six days. Heavy snowfall has cut them off from the rest of the state. The continuous snowfall, including at the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang on the Manali-Leh highway that connects the Lahaul valley to Manali, has disrupted transportation and communication networks in the region.