Bad weather grounds flights at Bhuntar airport for second day

Mandi, February 11

Due to inclement weather, flights remained suspended at the Bhuntar airport in Kullu district for the second consecutive day today.

Travellers whose flights were scheduled to Kullu from Delhi and Chandigarh on February 10 and 11 were inconvenienced.

Lionel Kilner (84), a Canadian tourist, whose flight was scheduled from Chandigarh to Kullu on February 10 could not fly because the flight was cancelled due to bad weather. Today again, his flight was cancelled. So, he took a taxi service from Chandigarh to Kullu. Similarly, other travellers also faced huge inconvenience due to cancellation of flights.

Another spell of snow shuts 216 roads

• The higher reaches of Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Shimla experienced another spell of snowfall on Saturday while light rain lashed mid and lower hills
• As many as 216 roads, including three NHs, have been blocked. A maximum of 119 roads are shut in Lahaul- Spiti, 31 in Kinnaur, 19 in Chamba, nine in Kullu, six in Mandi, two in Kangra and one in Shimla
• As many as 325 transformers and 10 water schemes were also disrupted in the state, as per the State Emergency Operation Centre. pti

Meanwhile, due to heavy snowfall near Atal Tunnel and its nearby places on the Manali-Leh highway the Lahaul valley remained cut off from the state on the second consecutive day today. The higher reaches of Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti experienced fresh snowfall today, while the lower regions of these districts received rainfall.

A snow avalanche was also triggered near Mooling village in the Lahaul valley, but no loss of life and property was reported. Due to heavy snow at the South and North portals of Atal Tunnel, the traffic remained at a standstill between Manali and Keylong. The Solang nullah, a tourist hotspot near Manali, recorded 30 cm snowfall and Rohtang Pass more than 75 cm.

The key roads in Lahaul and Spiti such as Tandi-Udaiur, Manali-Keylong, Darcha-Shinkula and Gramphu-Kaza-Sumdo remained blocked. Due to snowy weather conditions in the region, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) could not restore any road today.

Lahaul and Spiti DC Sumit Khimta said an advisory was issued to the public, cautioning them against venturing into avalanche-prone areas of the district during the next few days.

As soon as weather conditions improved, the BRO and the PWD will start the snow clearance operations on key roads in the district to restore them.