Fresh snowfall disrupts traffic, 332 roads closed

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 21

Normal life was disrupted as fresh spell of snowfall blocked roads, affecting traffic in upper Shimla area. The snowfall started around midnight and Kufri in the suburbs of Shimla received 4-cm snow, making driving risky on slippery road.

A truck skidded near Chharabra and blocked the road last night and police control room (112) received a call that a pregnant woman on her way to Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla, from Rohru was stranded near Chharabra.

The police reached the spot and removed the truck and took the woman and her family to KNH in the police vehicle. “Nearly 15 persons were rescued last night from the Dhalli- Kufri stretch. The operation lasted till 4 am,” Shimla SP Omapati Jamwal said.

The supply of essential commodities such as milk, bread, newspaper etc to upper Shimla area was delayed as the road was closed for traffic till today afternoon.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the stretch (Dhalli and Kufri) and the vehicles were allowed after the snow was removed.

Mercury stayed between minus 16 and minus 24 degree in high altitude tribal areas. Keylong recorded a night temperature at minus 10.2 degree C. Kothi received 20 cm snow, Khadrala 15 cm, Sarahan 13 cm, Manali 10 cm, Kalpa 6 cm, Kufri and Kumarsen 5 cm each, Bharmaur 4 cm, Theog 3 cm and Shimla 1 cm. Dharamsala, which received 27 mm rain, was wettest in the region, followed by Jhandutta 15 mm, Palampur and Chamba 12 mm, Seobagh 11 mm, Baijnath 10 mm, Mandi and Ghumarwin 9 mm each, Gaggal 8 mm, Jogindernagar, Bhuntar, Dalhousie and Sujanpur Tira 7 mm each, Rohru and Gohar 6 mm each, Banjar, Aghar, Rampur and Sarkaghat 5 mm each.

As many as 332 roads, including one national highway, were closed due to snow. A maximum of 180 roads were closed in Shimla zone, 101 in Kangra zone and 50 in Mandi zone. Nearly 250 machines have been pressed into service and 138 roads were opened by Tuesday night and 125 would be opened by Wednesday night.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap said all roads in the district had been restored for traffic barring snowbound Dodra Kwar subdivision where snow-clearing operations were going on a war-footing. He said the district administration had deployed adequate machinery to meet any eventuality. Traffic was plying normally on Shimla-Rampur, Rohru, Kharapathar road.