Heavy Snowfall Throws Life Out of Gear in Himachal Pradesh – Watch Videos

India

oi-Prakash KL

A
fierce
spell
of
snow
and
rain
brought
the
hill
state
of
Himachal
Pradesh
to
a
grinding
halt
on
Friday,
severing
connectivity,
plunging
vast
areas
into
darkness,
and
forcing
authorities
to
impose
severe
travel
restrictions.
The
sudden
and
intense
weather
system
transformed
large
parts
of
the
state
into
isolated,
snow-bound
zones,
crippling
normal
life.

Official
data
from
the
State
Emergency
Operation
Centre
(SEOC)
paints
a
stark
picture
of
the
disruption.
A
staggering
563
roads
across
the
state
have
been
rendered
impassable
due
to
heavy
snow
accumulation.

The
crisis
is
most
acute
in
the
high-altitude
tribal
district
of
Lahaul
&
Spiti,
where
approximately
290
roads,
including
critical
links
like
the
Koksar-Rohtang
Pass
and
Darcha-Sarchu
routes,
stand
closed,
effectively
cutting
off
the
region.

The
damage
is
widespread.
Chamba
district
reported
105
blocked
roads,
particularly
in
its
remote
pockets
of
Pangi
and
Bharmour.
Una
and
Mandi
saw
70
and
64
roads
closed
respectively,
while
other
districts
including
Sirmaur,
Kullu,
and
Kangra
also
faced
significant
blockages.
Only
Bilaspur
and
Hamirpur
districts
remained
untouched
by
road
closures.

Parallel
to
the
transport
crisis,
a
massive
power
breakdown
has
added
to
the
public
woes.
As
many
as
4,797
distribution
transformers
have
been
knocked
out
of
service.
Solan
district
is
the
worst-hit
with
1,856
transformers
affected,
followed
by
Mandi
(901),
Kullu
(682),
and
Chamba
(659).
The
situation
in
the
state
capital,
Shimla,
was
compounded
as
the
district
emergency
office
itself
struggled
without
power,
hampering
assessment
efforts.

Shimla
bore
the
brunt
of
the
harsh
weather,
with
temperatures
plummeting
far
below
seasonal
norms.
The
city
shivered
at
a
maximum
of
just
0.6°C
and
a
minimum
of
0°C,
against
the
usual
range
of
3°C
to
11°C,
and
received
around
25
cm
of
snowfall.
In
Kullu,
a
fresh
blanket
of
nearly
45
cm
(1.5
feet)
of
snow
forced
the
suspension
of
vehicular
movement
on
key
highways.

Major
arterial
routes
have
been
severed.
Traffic
on
National
Highway-03
between
Jhiri
and
Manali
is
at
a
standstill
due
to
heavy
snow
at
the
18
Mile
point.
The
vital
Manali-Atal
Tunnel
Rohtang
road
has
been
closed
as
a
precaution.
The
Aut-Luhri
stretch
of
NH-305
is
shut
with
snow
accumulation
reaching
three
feet
in
places.
Incidents
like
a
fallen
tree
blocking
the
Bhuntar-Manikaran
road
further
exacerbated
local
disruptions.

With
restoration
work
dependent
on
an
improvement
in
weather,
authorities
have
issued
a
stern
advisory.
Residents
and
tourists
have
been
urged
to
avoid
all
non-essential
travel
and
adhere
strictly
to
official
updates
as
crews
prepare
to
begin
massive
clearance
operations
once
conditions
allow.