Normal life thrown out of gear in Lahaul-Spiti valley

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Mandi, December 30

Fresh snowfall crippled normal life in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti. Traffic came to a standstill in the district.

However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) today engaged its workforce and machinery to clear the road and restore the traffic between Manali and Keylong via Atal Tunnel for the movement of 4×4 vehicles, only in case of emergency.

The snowfall occurred up to the Bang area in Manali, which forced the Kullu district administration to stop the movement of tourist vehicles towards the Solang valley from the Manali side beyond Nehru Kund. A long traffic jam was experienced in Manali and its surrounding areas as a large number of tourists thronged the town after the fresh snowfall.

Meanwhile, the lower region of Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Mandi received showers, while the high-altitude areas of these districts had snowfall.

Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta urged the residents to avoid travelling to high-altitude areas, especially in avalanche-prone places, for the next few days.

The administrations of Kullu and Mandi also issued a similar travel advisory for tourists and locals. The hills of Shikari Devi, Prashar Lake and the Kamrunag valley in Mandi district also received fresh snowfall.

In wake of the tourist rush, the Mandi police have decided to allow traffic to Kullu-Manali without interruption till January 1.