Shimla, Kufri, Dalhousie don white mantle

Bhanu P Lohumi

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 28

Shimla residents and tourists woke up to the capital city donning a white mantle after the first ‘moderate’ snowfall of the season, bringing cheers to all. Tourists thronged The Mall Road and The Ridge, braving severe cold conditions to enjoy the snow.

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The snowfall disrupted normal life in several parts of the state and upper Shimla areas were cut off beyond Dhalli in the morning. Around 405 roads were blocked in the state due to snow. The maximum of 150 roads are blocked in Chamba district, followed by 91 in Shimla and 78 in Lahaul and Spiti district, according to the PWD.

The Hindustan-Tibet NH-5, which was blocked at numerous places, was opened by afternoon after snow was cleared at Kufri, Fagu, Shilaru and Narkanda, said Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi. All major roads in the district, including Kharapathar and Khirki, were now open, he added.

Kufri, 14 km from Shimla, received 30 cm of snow, Dalhousie and Kothi 22 cm and 18 cm, Narkanda 15 cm, Khadrala 14 cm, Nichar 10 cm, Gondla 8 cm, Hansa 5 cm and Jubbar Hatti 4 cm. Shimla, which received 9 cm of snow, experienced the coldest night of the season with the minimum temperature dipping to minus 1.1°C.

A large number of vehicles, including 73 buses of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation, were stuck and Rampur and Kinnaur-bound buses were diverted via Basantpur and Kingal.

In Shimla city, roads became slippery after the snowfall and the police advised commuters to avoid travelling to Tutu, Chhota Shimla, Mashobra, Dhalli, Sanjauli, Lakkar Bazaar and Navbahar areas. Approach roads to hospitals and other essential services were opened on priority and men and machinery were deployed in strength for

the speedy clearance of roads, said Praveer Thakur, ASP, Shimla.

Room occupancy in hotels, which dropped from 100 per cent on Christmas to 60 per cent yesterday, may now pick up again. “We are hoping for a good New Year season as the local MeT office has predicted a fresh spell of snowfall around January 3 and 4,” said Sanjay Sood, president of the Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Meanwhile, widespread rain occurred in the state and Ghumarwin was the wettest with 34 mm of rainfall.

The local MeT office has predicted dry weather in the region for five days from tomorrow and severe cold conditions and the occurrence of thick ground frost at isolated places in lower hills on December 29 and 30.