In Himachal Pradesh, snowfall has led to the closure of over 200 roads and four deaths due to vehicle skidding incidents. Parts of Himachal Pradesh have turned into a snow land, the MeT department has predicted rain and more snow at isolated places in some parts of the state, Shimla in particular, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the downpour peaking on Saturday.
While Social media has been flooded with pictures of Shimla and Manali beautifully covered in a snow-blanket. Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders’ Association president MK Seth, reported that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 %. The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added. At least 223 roads, including three national highways, were shut in the state due to the snowfall across the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh.
About 223 roads, including the national highways between Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, and Khab Sangam in Kinnaur district and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti district, were closed for traffic, according to the media reports. Shimla accounted for most of road closures (145), followed by 25 in Kullu and 20 in Mandi districts. Some areas were without power after 356 transformers stopped working.
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the department is ready to handle the tourist influx, adding that a total of 268 machineries, including two snow blowers, have been deployed to clear the roads. According to the media reports, four people died in accidents in 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at some places in Himachal Pradesh. Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists’ vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma said.
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