Dhauladhar hills wear white mantle

The upper reaches of Dhauladhar hills and Chhota Bhangal and Bara Bhangal areas of the Palampur region experienced heavy snowfall during the past 20 hours, while lower areas received rain.

The entire Palampur region is in the grip of a severe cold wave. Bara Bhangal has been cut off from the rest of the district following heavy snowfall (25 cm) at the Thamsar Pass at a height of 19,000 feet.

Reports said that 5 cm of snow was recorded at Billing, a major tourist resort and paragliding site, till this afternoon while one feet of snow was recorded at Kothi Kohar and Rajgundha in the Chhota Bhangal area.

Vehicular traffic to Chhota Bhangal and Billing came to a halt following heavy snowfall. The administration has suspended paragliding at Bir-Billing and advised tourists not to visit Billing since the road is covered with snow at many points.

Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles are stranded at Multhan, Kothi Kohar, Luhardi and Billing. Many villages in Chhota Bhangal are without power since last night as uprooted trees fell on supply lines. Normal life in the Palampur region has been paralysed. Power supply and transport services have also been hit. Many rural areas of Baijnath, Jaisinghpur and Sullah are without power supply following a snag in the transmission lines feeding many parts of Kangra district.