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Winter woes: 357 roads still closed in Himachal
In Lahaul and Spiti, the tribal district that has been hit the worst, all major roads were blocked for traffic, including Manali-Leh, Darcha-Shinkula and Losar-Kaza highways as well as Udaipur-Killar road, which connects Pangi valley of Chamba district
Even as the skies cleared in Himachal on Tuesday after two days of snow and rains, there is no end to the winter woes of people residing in the higher reaches as 357 roads, including three national highways, were still closed for traffic.
In Lahaul and Spiti, the tribal district that has been hit the worst, all major roads were blocked for traffic, including Manali-Leh, Darcha-Shinkula and Losar-Kaza highways as well as Udaipur-Killar road, which connects Pangi valley of Chamba district.
A total of 154 roads were closed in the district, said director of State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Sudesh Kumar Mokhta.
Eighty-six roads were blocked in Shimla district and 73 in Kinnaur. Far-off villages reeled under darkness as 540 transformers developed snags.
Apart from this, 34 water supply schemes have also been affected, mostly in Chamba district.
Avalanche warning in three districts
Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Chandigarh, has issued an avalanche warning for Kullu, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh.
As per the warning, avalanche may strike at north and south portals of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, Marhi, Koksar, Sissu, Tandi, and Darcha.
Pangi in Chamba district is also prone to avalanches.
The MeT department has forecast dry weather conditions on Wednesday while a fresh spell of snow and rains is expected on February 2 and 3.
Keylong, the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti, was the coldest place in the state on Tuesday recording minimum temperature of -8.3°C, followed by Kukulseri at -7.6°C, while Kalpa shivered at -5°C.
Narkanda, the famous tourist destination 60km from Shimla, saw a low of -1.0°C while the hill resort Manali recorded a low of 0.4°C.
Night temperature in state capital Shimla was 4°C, while it was 4.5°C in Palampur and 6.3°C in Dharamshala.
