Shimla/Srinagar, January 23
A blinding snowstorm hit Shimla and several other parts of Himachal Pradesh this morning while snow, rain and landslides kept the Kashmir valley cut off from the rest of the country for the third day. Reports of hailstorms and heavy rain were also received from the plains all over the region.
The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the third day today. In Himachal traffic on the Hindustan-Tibet road beyond Shimla and the Kulu-Manali highway came to a grinding halt as a thick blanket of snow covered the road. The tribal Kinnaur district and the upper areas of Shimla district were cut off as various link roads in Jubbal-Kotkhai, Chopal, Rohru, Thanedhar and Kumarsain were blocked by heavy snow.
So widespread was the snow that even Kasauli, Barog and certain areas of Solan had the season’s first snowfall.
Traffic on the busy Shimla-Kalka national highway was also disrupted in the morning. However, the road was cleared by the afternoon. Traffic moved at snail’s pace because of the slippery road surface.
Newspapers, milk and other essential supplies were delayed due to traffic blockades between Tara Devi and Shimla. The people of upper areas beyond Dhalli had to go without these daily necessities.
The Rampur-bound traffic was diverted via Dhami. The vehicular movement within the city was restricted to a portion of the circular road as all other roads were blocked. However, the train service on the Shimla-Kalka section was normal.
The city and its surrounding
areas were plunged into darkness in the wee hours of the day when the blizzard struck. Uprooted trees and electric poles snapped the two main power lines at about a dozen places between Sankati and Idgah and Mashobra and Shimla. By the evening power supply had been restored to some parts of the town while repair work was still on. Attendance in office was thin as many employees could not make it because of snow.
Jakhu peak, the highest point of the city, recorded 30 cm of snow, while the lower areas had 15 cm to 30 cm. The nearby resort of Kufri and Phagu were under knee-deep snow.
The upper Shimla hills were covered with a thick blanket of snow with Narkanda (50 cm), Hattu Peak (90 cm), Kharapathar (40 cm), Manali (25 cm), Solang Nullah (90 cm), Kulu (10 cm), McLeodganj in Dharamsala (15 cm). Kasauli, Barog and Bhuntar also had snowfall. The tribal areas of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi were having incessant snow for the past 48 hours. The entire tribal belt reeled under sub-zero temperatures.
The snow virtually transformed the landscape into a fairyland as every inch of hills, the trees, the roofs of buildings wore a white mantle.
Heavy snow and landslides at various places in Jammu and Kashmir blocked the highway, the only surface link connecting the valley with the rest of the country. Official sources here said that no passenger vehicles were stranded on the highway.
It was snowing heavily today on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel, about 100 km from the highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. More than 3 ft deep snow was reported in the tunnel area which led to the closure of the highway.
Landslides due to heavy rain between Banihal and Ramban also blocked the highway, vital link to the Kashmir valley.
This is for the first time this winter that heavy downpour has led to the blockade of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. This has led to a decline in the supply of rice, grain, cereals, kerosene, petroleum products and other essential commodities in the valley.
Rains and snow lashed the plains and mountains of Kashmir valley in the past three days. Srinagar and its adjoining areas experienced moderate snowfall on Thursday and Friday mornings with incessant rain since Wednesday last. The upper reaches of the valley, including tourist spot of Gulmarg, where fourth national winter games start on January 28, Pahalgam, Sonmarg and other upper reaches, were also having heavy snowfall.
Heavy rains affected normal life at some places in Punjab and Haryana with Ambala receiving 36.9 mm, Hisar (2 mm), Karnal 41.8 mm and Kalka 35 mm of precipitation.
Chandigarh (53 mm) and its adjoining satellite towns of Panchkula and Mohali were lashed by heavy showers. The low-lying areas of this city were water-logged and motorists had a tough time negotiating the water that had collected near the roundabouts.
Amritsar (5.6 mm), Ludhiana (19 mm), Patiala (36 mm) and Nangal Dam area (39.2 mm) in Punjab also reported good rain.
