Tourists flock to Guldanda as authorities open Bhaderwah-Pathankot highway

Hundreds of tourists flocked to the snow-covered Guldanda in Doda district after authorities reopened the Bhadarwah-Pathankot national highway for traffic on Sunday, officials said.

The interstate highway, passing through the 9,555-foot-high Guldanda and the 11,000-foot Chattargalla pass, had been closed for traffic after Thursday’s snowfall to avoid any untoward incidents due to the slippery conditions of the road.

Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh, who led hundreds of tourist vehicles to the snow-covered wonderland of Guldanda, said it was a delight to see over 2,000 visitors converge at the meadow within two hours of the road reopening, calling it an encouraging sign for the district’s tourism industry.

“Kudos to the Border Roads Organisation, which deployed hi-tech machinery for snow clearance on the Bhadarwah-Pathankot highway, reopening Guldanda and Chattergalla Passes to the outside world,” he said.

“Despite the Border Roads Organisation’s hectic efforts, a layer of snow remains on the surface of the road, resulting in slippery conditions as the temperature drops to minus 15° Celsius in some stretches of the highway. For the safety of tourists, the road was closed for three days. After sprinkling salt and urea, we allowed all kinds of vehicles up to Guldanda,” the Deputy Commissioner added.

Tourists and local vendors expressed their gratitude to the authorities for restoring traffic on the vital road within days after the major snowfall.