Visual treat, roadblocks as snow blankets Shimla, Manali, Kasauli, Chail

Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, January 8

Several areas of Himachal received heavy snow on Wednesday, crippling normal life and leading to 879 roads being closed for traffic.

Shimla and its surrounding areas experienced the first heavy snowfall of the season, cutting off the region from the rest of the state. Snowfall led to power outages and forced people to scramble for daily essentials like milk. 

 All roads approaching Shimla except for the Kalka-Shimla National Highway have been closed for the public. Roads to upper Shimla and Kinnaur have also been closed off.  HRTC services from Shimla have been suspended. However, train services are running, officials said.  

Buses coming from Chandigarh and Mandi were left stranded near Taradevi and Tutu. Within Shimla, traffic flow came to a halt as roads became slippery and dangerous. Water and power supply remain erratic. Most of the areas in upper Shimla are covered under 40-70 cm thick blanket of snow.

The snowfall delighted tourists, who flocked to the Ridge and the Mall Road to enjoy the weather.

Shimla has seen an upsurge in tourist inflow since Wednesday—Shimla Hotel & Restaurant Association Sanjay Sood claimed hotels reported 80 per cent occupancy on Tuesday, and the figure is likely to go up as the week progresses.  Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association MK Seth warned that unless the administration clears up roads soon, hotels would report revenue loses.

The administration on its part said it was trying to clear the roads.

“Heavy machinery has been deployed and road clearing operations are in full swing but intermittent heavy snowfall is hampering the works,” said Shimla Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap.

Kharapather recorded 60 cm of snow, Dalhousie 35 cm, Kufri and Khadrala 33.0 cm, Shimla 20 cm and Gondola 18.5 cm, Bijahi 15 cm, Theog 12 cm, Keylong 8.0 cm, Jubbal 7.5 cm and Pooh 5.0 until Wednesday morning.

Key tourist places of Chail, Barog, Kasauli, and Solan also reported snowfall.

Several parts of the state also witnessed rain—Ghumarwin was the wettest with 59 mm rains, followed by Banjar 54 mm, Nadaun 49 mm, Solan 46 mm, Naina Devi 44 mm, Palampur 43 mm, Sujanpur Tira and Jogindernagar 37 mm, Rampur 36 mm, Kasauli, Baijnath 35 mm, Karsog and  Dharamshala 34 mm, Khadrala and Wangtoo 33 mm, Kotkhai 32 mm and Kahu, Nahan and  Jubbar Hatti 31 mm. 

The snow and rain lead to power outage in Barog, Solan, and Kasauli.   

The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more rainfall/snowfall at most places on Wednesday and, warned of heavy rainfall/snowfall at isolated places in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and parts of districts Mandi, Kullu and Kinnaur districts.

 The weather is likely to be dry on January 9 and 10, but January 11 could witness more rains and snow as another Western Disturbance lies over Himalayan region.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has directed district administrations across the state to restore essential services as soon as possible and has also asked the Public Works Department to ensure that roads are cleared up and re-opened soon.  He has asked the State Electricity Board and Irrigation and Public Health department to ensure power and water supply as restored.

Deputy Commissioners have been asked to issue travel advisories for tourists and the local population to ensure their safety.

Shimla Police has issued warnings to people against venturing outdoors after 5 pm and cautioned travellers against falling trees in the bad weather.