E-Paper
Snow on Manali-Leh highway disrupts traffic, tourists in a fix
More than 100 vehicles were stranded on highway.
The traffic movement on the Manali-Leh highway was affected after the 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to tribal Lahaul-Spiti district, experienced unexpected snowfall on Monday.
Rohtang received six inches of snow on Monday. More than 100 vehicles were stranded on highway. The passengers were evacuated safely and the administration regulated the traffic to avoid any chaotic situation in Rohtang.
Meanwhile, the district administration has instructed the personnel deployed at the Gulaba barrier and Marhi to be on a high alert. The people and tourists have been advised to avoid venturing towards Lahaul-Spiti and Manali till the situation gets normal.
The Rohtang Pass had witnessed snowfall on September 29 this year. Last year, Rohtang had witnessed the first snowfall in mid September.
Due to Dussehra, Manali is witnessing a heavy tourist rush. Majority of tourists in Manali visit the Rohtang Pass for sightseeing. Rohtang is one of tourists’ favourite destinations in Kullu valley due to the presence of snow-clad glaciers, scenic beauty and adventure sports.
Uma Shankar, Commander 38 Border Road Task Force, said, “Snow clearance team (both men and machinery) has been deployed at Prani Nullah. It is still intermittently snowing in the region.”
Meteorological department director Dr Manmohan Singh said, “Snowfall in Rohtang has occurred due to western disturbance. Light snowfall is likely to continue in the Rohtang Pass for the next two days.”
Snowfall in the higher reaches of the state has also led to drop in the temperature in the state by few notches. The weather on Monday remained cloudy in most parts of the state with light snowfall and rainfall occurring at isolated places.
The maximum temperature in the state dropped by two to three degrees while the minimum temperature was one to two degrees above normal.
The maximum temperatures in Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala and Dalhousie were .6°C, 20.4°C, 23.8°C and 17.5°C, respectively and the minimum temperatures were 13.1°C, 8.4°C, 15.6°C and 11.4°C, respectively.
The maximum temperature in Kufri was 22.6°C and the minimum temperature was 10.1°C. Kalpa in the Kinnaur district recorded 23.8°C maximum temperature and 8.7°C minimum temperature.
The highest maximum temperature in the state was recorded at 30.8°C , which was recorded in Una while lowest temperature of 3.9°C was recorded in Keylong, headquarters of tribal district Lahaul-Spiti.
