Fresh snow near Atal Tunnel, Manali-Leh highway blocked

Dipender Manta

Mandi, March 30

The Manali-Leh highway was blocked between Manali and Keylong due to fresh snowfall near the Atal Tunnel in Lahaul and Spiti district today. The higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti, Mandi and Kullu districts received fresh snow, while lower regions of these districts experienced rain.

The south and north portals of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway received fresh snow, disrupting traffic movement towards Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district beyond the Solang valley near Manali.

Meanwhile, a large number of tourists thronged the Solang valley from Manali to enjoy snow activities. In view of public safety, the police restricted traffic movement beyond the Solang valley towards Keylong.

Manali DSP KD Sharma said that the movement of common civilians and tourists was allowed up to the Solang valley from the Manali side. Due to fresh snow near the Atal Tunnel and its nearby places, the road had become slippery for the movement of vehicles. So, traffic movement was not allowed beyond the Solang valley towards Keylong.

Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chaudhary said that it snowed in Lahaul and Spiti since last night till this morning, disrupting traffic movement within the district as well as between Manali and Keylong. During daytime, a few emergency vehicles were evacuated towards Manali from the Lahaul side and a few patients and stranded tourists were transported in them. People had been advised to avoid unnecessary journey on the Manali-Leh highway, which has become slippery due to snow and rain.

As weather conditions improved in the Lahaul region later, the BRO deployed its workforce and machinery to clear snow from the road. It is expected that if the weather remains favourable, the highway will be opened for traffic movement tomorrow.

172 roads closed in state

Shimla: Higher reaches and tribal areas received fresh spell of snow while low and middle hills were lashed by intermittent hail and rains on Saturday as the local MeT office predicted wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till April 4.

A Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation bus turned turtle near Maling in the Kinnaur district after skidding on Saturday morning in the snow but no casualty was reported, an official said.

Traffic came to a halt at the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang near Manali following heavy snow. Kalpa and Kukumseri received 5 cm of snow followed by Keylong with 3 cm of snow in the past 24 hours.

A total of 172 roads, including three National Highways, were closed for vehicular traffic in the state on Friday night as per the data of the state emergency operation centre. Most of these roads are in a difficult terrain in Lahaul and Spiti, where 159 roads are still to be opened.

The Local MeT office had issued an orange warning of thunderstorms accompanied with lightning, hail, heavy rains and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) at isolated places in seven out of 12 districts in the state on Saturday. — PTI