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More snowfall in store for Himachal

More snowfall in store for Himachal

Shimla, (IANS) An intense cold wave continued on Friday with most parts of Himachal Pradesh shivering with Manali at a minus 7 degrees Celsius, while Met office forecast “chances of more rainfall and snowfall in the state from Jan 15”.

more-snowfall-in-Shimla-Manali

The western disturbances — storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region — will be active again in the region, Met Office Director Manmohan Singh told IANS.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Manali and Dalhousie, located in mid-hills, may witness moderate snowfall after Saturday, the weather man added.

Shimla, which saw a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, had received heavy snow on January 7 and 8, like its neigbouring hill destinations Kufri, Mashobra and Narkanda.

Manali in Kullu district, about 250-km from here, is also wrapped under a blanket of snow.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state at minus 14.8 degrees Celsius.

It was minus 7.8 degrees in Kalpa, and 0.7 degrees in Kangra town.

Those in the hospitality industry are happy as they are expecting a record number of footfalls this weekend owing to chances of more snow.

“Snowfall is always an added attraction for our guests,” said D.P. Bhatia, Shimla-based liaison officer with the Oberoi Group of hotels.

Bone chilling cold wave conditions prevail in Himachal

Bone chilling cold wave conditions prevail in Himachal

Bone chilling cold wave conditions further intensified in Himachal Pradesh as mercury plummeted in tribal and other areas.

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The Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti was the coldest with mercury dropping to minus 15 degree Celsius.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region in coming days and heavy snowfall and rain is predicted by the MeT department on January 15 and 16.

 

Icicles form in Shimla, sub-zero temperatures freeze Himachal Pradesh

Icicles form in Shimla, sub-zero temperatures freeze Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Icicles formed in a large part of this Himachal Pradesh capital after many years with the minimum temperature remaining below sub-zero on the sixth consecutive day on Thursday. The weathermen forecast more rain and snow later this weekend.

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Old-timers said icicles, a common feature till 1980s, have brought alive memories for them. They are conjuring up a delightful spectacle for tourists too.

“It’s really memorable to see the icicles everywhere after a long time,” octogenarian Balbir Jaswal, who lives in Jakhu hills, the highest point of the town, told IANS.

He said the icicles were a common sight in Shimla once.

“For the past five-six years, they were surfacing but only in some localities of Shimla, like Jakhu and the US Club.”

Another resident, Neelam Sharma said that in some areas the icicles were as long as five feet.

“This time the size of icicles is quite big, indicating a return of harsh winters. They have been surfacing for almost a decade, but the size was too small and hence they thawed in just a few days,” she said.

Icicle, a pendent spear of ice formed by the freezing of dripping rooftop water, indicates harsh winter.

“It’s really refreshing to see icicles hanging outside the window of my hotel,” said Radhika Shroff, a tourist from Mumbai.

The minimum temperature in Shimla, which received more than 83 cm of snowfall over the weekend, was minus 0.6 degree Celsius, up from Wednesday’s minus 3.2 degrees.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest place in the state. It recorded a night temperature of minus 14.9 degrees Celsius, a fall of 3.5 degrees from Wednesday.

Manali, which is still wrapped in a thick blanket of snow, recorded a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 8 degrees in Kalpa and 4.8 degrees above the freezing point in Dharamsala.

Manmohan Singh, Director of the Meteorological Office here, told IANS that the chances of more snowfall in mid and higher hills are more on January 15 as Western disturbances are approaching the region.

Western disturbance is a meteorological term for a storm system emanating from the Mediterranean Sea which causes rain or snowfall in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent.

Popular tourist destinations of Himachal Pradesh like Shimla, Kasauli, Chail, Kufri, Narkanda, Manali and Dalhousie may experience more snow, then forecast said.

13 thousand goats sacrificed on Maghi

Due to tradition, more than 13 thousand goats were scrificed in Giripar

Magi-stamped-13-thousands-goats

Nahan – Beaver Junsar Magi festival is celebrated on January 11th in Giripar area of district Sirmour and some parts of Uttarakhand. On this day, about 40 to 45 thousand goats were sacrificed in both states. Giripar sector alone was reported to have cut over 13 thousand goats. whose price will be about 13 million.

According to information from the primitive dimension standing tradition. According to legend in the golden age, when the mother was holding the ragged black god defends moved toward the north. Dewataaen the black during the day to cool the entire northern region of 28 Prvishte Paush Khapar same day of black goats sacrificed to fill the collective.

According to information in the area every year on January 11 Giripar Magi is celebrated. The festival is in each family are sacrificed goat or ram. Before the house Kali for sacrifice is made sweet offerings. According to the information of district Sirmour Giripar area close to the 127 gram panchayats, 12 thousand more than half of the village more than 650 families to celebrate this festival.

The feast day of the goat or ram reap golden castes, scheduled castes pig sacrificed. Over 12 thousand families Giripar sector alone half a goat is captured, while two to three goats too reap resourceful people. If the average price of a goat is pegged Rs 10 thousands Rs 13 crore this year in the Giripar Magi Feast of the goats have been cut. Also Magi Feast on local specialties flour and jaggery pudding, Askli, Ulole, Sutole etc. are created.

What is the tradition

According to tradition, the entire Giripar in 28 Prvishte Paush goats are cut. Primitive dimension to the Goddess Kali was sacrificed to appease the gods, then, the tradition has been continued. Skanda Purana and is stated in the Markandeya Purana. Giripar centuries in terms of the social aspect due to snow or wether goat amputated to avoid those cold, cold winter weather can use the meet.

Himachal Pradesh: 410 Roads opened, All Roads shall open in 4 days

Shimla: Chief Secretary Shri V.C. Pharka, today reviewed the progress on restoration of roads, water and electricity, in different parts of the State affected by, heavy snowfall, with senior officers of these departments.

roads-opened

He said 607 roads, were affected by snow and rains, in the State, out of which, 410 roads, have been, opened for vehicular traffic. It includes, National Highways, State Highways, major district roads and rural roads. Luhri-Aut via Jalori Pass was yet to be opened. All the affected roads, will be, opened in next 3-4 days for traffic. Four Helipads, in Chamba and all in Lahual-Spiti, have been made functional.

Chief Secretary said, 728 schemes of I&PH department were affected, out of which, 553 schemes restored and rest of 175 schemes, will be restored, within 2-3 days. These schemes, includes, urban water supply, rural water supply, irrigation, sewerage and flood protection works.

He said supply of electricity to Shimla town has been restored up to 70 percent and 100 percent electricity will be ensured shortly.  Electricity supply to Giri water supply scheme has also been restored.

Tourists throng Solang to explore adventure sports

Tourists throng Solang to explore adventure sports

adventure-sports

Snow sports lovers thronged Solang Valley, 13 km from here, for participating in various skiing courses.

A 14-day basic and advance skiing course is being organised by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, at Solang Ski Slopes today.

Capt Randhir Singh Salhuria, directorof the institute, said 100 participants from all over the country were participating in basic and advance skiing courses.

He said the institute played a vital role in promoting adventure sports and had produced many enthusiastic mountaineers and skiers of national as well as international arenas. The institution also played a vital role in generating self-employment among youths as many skiers have started their own ski schools, river rafting, trekking agencies and other adventure sports.

The famous ski slopes of the Solang valley experienced a fresh spell of snowfall yesterday. The snowfall on the ski slopes brought cheer to winter sports lovers.

10 dead in Himachal Pradesh as temperature plunges to -3.2°C in Shimla

10 dead in Himachal Pradesh as temperature plunges to -3.2°C in Shimla

temperature-down

Frigid conditions have left at least 10 people dead in Himachal Pradesh, where Shimla recorded the season’s lowest temperature of -3.2°C on Wednesday, ANI reported. Snowfall in the higher areas of the state capital continued to hamper everyday activities.

The local meteorological department had forecast moderate snowfall in the state for the next two days. Authorities have advised people to remain alert as avalanches are likely in the region. Residents of tribal areas such as Pangi in Chamba and the Lahaul-Spiti district have been demanding helicopter services as road access has been cut off for the last couple of days.

Low temperatures were not restricted to North India either – the temperature in Mumbai dropped to 12.5°C on Wednesday, the lowest in three years. An official from Regional Meteorological Centre in the city told PTI that the mercury had dropped because of the cold breeze blowing from the northwest.

Most of North India is experiencing a cooler winter than usual because of a cold wave. The Centre had issued a warning on Monday, saying that the minimum temperature is likely to fall by 2°C to 4°C between January 10 and January 13. “Dry northwesterly cold winds at lower and middle levels are very likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India,” the advisory said, adding that Punjab, Haryana and northern parts of Rajasthan will be hit by the cold wave.

No respite from cold wave conditions in Himachal Pradesh

The MeT office has forecast moderate spell of snowfall during the next two days.

cold-wave-in-himachal

In Himachal Pradesh, normal life continues to remain out of gear due to snowfall at higher reaches. (PTI)

In Himachal Pradesh, normal life continues to remain out of gear due to snowfall at higher reaches. Several parts of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Kangra districts continue to experience light snowfall during the night. The MeT office has forecast moderate spell of snowfall during the next two days.

The Dhauladhar Ranges in Kangra and Pir Panjal Ranges of Chamba districts recorded moderate spell of snowfall on the high reaches. The authorities have advised people to be on high alert due to danger of avalanches in snow lines area of the tribal districts.

The residents of tribal areas like Pangi in Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts are demanding starting of helicopter flights immediately. These areas have been cut off by the road connectivity with rest of the world since the past few days.

Snowfall in abundance in Kashmir valley, Uttarakhand, Himachal

weather Red alert Heavy snowfall

Skiers are flocking to the slopes of Gulmarg, considered one of the best skiing destinations in the world.

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Starting with a White Christmas in Shimla, several towns in the northern hills of India have received snowfall this winter. While the relatively lower-altitude areas like Kasauli and Chail saw tourists bee-lining to experience snow, normal life in several areas including towns in Kashmir saw normal life being paralysed as snow blocked roads. Here is a list of the states that received snowfall this season:

Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar recorded its first snowfall on January 4. The other areas which witnessed snowfall included Ganderbal, Keran, Machil, Karnah, Gurez, Shopian, Sonamarg and Amarnath cave along with surrounding areas. Heavy snowfall in the Valley is attracting hundreds of tourists from various parts of the country and abroad.

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Skiers are flocking to the slopes of Gulmarg, considered one of the best skiing destinations in the world. While the snow cover at Gulmarg bowl is 3-4 feet deep, it is more than 6 feet deep in the upper parts of Gulmarg Kondori and Affarwath. The state tourism department is even planning to organise a winter carnival, where several activities will be organised between January 22 and February 5 at Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

Himachal Pradesh

On Christmas, Shimla witnessed the season’s first snowfall as tourists flocking to the holiday destination were welcomed by sleet that quickly morphed itself into snow. Nearby areas of Chail, Kasauli and Kufri quickly followed. Other tourist destinations like Kullu, Manali, Chamba and Dalhousie too have received heavy snowfall.

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With roads covered in thick blankets of snow, supply of essential commodities and transportation of struck tourists was hampered. In several areas, electricity supply was disrupted due to snapping of transmission lines and water supply was affected due to bursting of pipes.

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Nearly 90 per cent of Shimla was without power on Monday despite claims of having resorted power in major parts of the town including priority areas such as hospitals. Rain also lashed other areas like Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, bringing down the temperatures. The officials have also been advising tourists not to venture into remote areas.

Uttarakhand

Nainital experienced its first snowfall in almost two years, with the minimum temperature falling to -1°C. Both Nainital and Mussoorie received 15 cm of snow. Kilbury, Ayaarpatta, Naina Peak, Snow View received more snow than the lower parts of the town.

jk-snowfall

Most of the higher Himalayan ranges, including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamnotri, Gangotri, Chopta, Tungnath, Rudranath and Auli received fresh snowfall while the middle Himalayan ranges of Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pauri districts are experiencing incessant rain.

Fresh snow in Manali, Shimla adds to woes

Fresh snow in Manali, Shimla adds to woes

fresh-snow-in-shimla-and-manali

The famous tourist resort of Manali today experienced fresh snowfall, while Shimla had tourists enjoying snowflakes in the evening as cold wave continued to sweep most parts of the state with minimum temperatures staying below normal.

girls-take-a-selfie-during-a-snowfall-in-shimla

Along with cold wave conditions, erratic power and water supply coupled with traffic jams, added to the woes of residents and tourists. Frozen roads disrupted vehicular traffic and upper areas of Shimla, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti remained cut off from the rest of the state.

commuters-walk-during-the-sunset-on-the-ridge

The piercing cold tightened its grip in Manali and upper areas following another spell of fresh snow in the day.

Dark clouds hovered which resulted in fresh snowfall in the higher reaches, including Rohtang Pass. The famous ski slopes of the Solang Valley also received snow.

Local bus service remained suspended on the Manali-Naggar road, causing inconvenience to locals and tourists. The power supply in Manali had also been disrupted.

tourists-enjoy-a-fresh-spell-of-snow-in-manali

With a dip in temperature, sale of woollens, Kullu shawls, hand-woven socks, mufflers, gloves, caps and snow shoes has shot up.

While the normal life remained crippled in several parts of the state and people shivered under extreme cold conditions, a large number of tourists who thronged Shimla and other hill resorts, felt the heat of demonetisation.

Though most of the tourists are making major payments, like hotel bills, through credit and debit cards, there is no cash available with them to make petty payments as most of the ATMs had run out of cash following influx of tourists after snowfall.

Tourists who are making small purchases are facing great hardship as cash is not available. Local businessmen are also feeling the pinch and losing customers.

Even after five days, normalcy could not be restored and several areas remained without electricity for the fifth day today, while power supply was erratic in some areas. There was a little improvement in water supply as the pumping was hampered due to power shortage.

Most of the areas in uppers Shimla and Kinnaur remained cut off while all roads in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district and Pangi are closed bringing normal life to a halt. Efforts are afoot to open the approach roads to helipads. As many as 253 roads in the state are still closed and labourers had been deployed in strength to restore the roads. Out of the total 40 roads closed in Shimla town, 35 had been opened. Further, 450 damaged irrigation and water supply schemes are yet to be made functional.

Meanwhile, Shimla experienced mild intermittent snowfall while the hill resorts of Kufri and Narkanda witnessed another spell of snow. Higher hills and tribal areas continued to reel under arctic conditions with Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts recording a minimum temperature of minus 9.7°C and minus 7°C while the key tourist resorts of Manali and Shimla recorded a low of minus 2°C and minus 0.4°C. Solan recorded a minimum temperature of 0.5°C, Bhuntar 1°C, Sundernagar 2.1°C, Una 3.4°C, Nahan 4.7°C and Dharamsala 7°C.

Stuck in snow, Lahaul residents seek air services

Mandi: Residents of Lahaul-Spiti have requested the state government to launch air services to the district as the transportation system has been collapsed since January 3 because of heavy snowfall in Rohtang Pass. The residents stuck there till April because the Manali-Leh highway is closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall.

Locals said there was no alternative other than the air service to move in and out of the district. The district has been facing the shortage of health staff for a long time and people are forced to move out of the district to avail better health services.

Ashok Kumar, native of Keylong, said, “We face difficulty when the road is closed at Rohtang and now we urge government to provide air service to the district.” District Congress Committee president Norbu Bodh also gave a memorandum to the district administration to provide flight service immediately.

Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul Spiti, Vivek Bhatia, told The Tribune that the authority would write to the government to provide chopper service to facilitate the residents. However, this year, the district administration had launched e-Udan software service for the residents of the district to provide online booking system. Four helipads at Diet, Keylong, Udaipur and Bhuntar had been connected with the e-Udan software and people could get detailed information about airfare, availability of seats, cancellation of flight service and contact numbers of officials deputed at helipads  for queries easily via internet.—Dipender Manta

Man freezes to death at Jalori Pass

Kullu: One person froze to death while crossing the 10,500-ft high Jalori Pass on foot on the Aut-Luhri national highway of the district on Monday. The police said Mohammed Syed from Uttar Pradesh was working as a mason at Shoja village of the district and he along with his two friends were crossing the Jalori Pass which was covered with 5-ft snow. It was learnt that they were coming back from Anni and the victim was left behind, while two of his friends were able to make it safely to Shoja. The police said the victim’s body was recovered near the Bada nullah on Tuesday and had been sent for the postmortem examination. It said further investigation in the case was on. — OC

After snowfall, temperature dip below freezing point in Himachal Pradesh

After snowfall, temperature dip below freezing point in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA/MANALI: After days of snow and rain, normal life in Himachal Pradesh remained out of gear on Monday despite it being a sunny day. Power and water supply remained disrupted in most parts even as traffic on roads was restored in several areas which were cut off following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

temperature-dip

As temperatures nose-dived further, Shimla till Monday morning witnessed 53 cm of snow in the past 24 hours. Although this year’s first snowfall on Friday brought cheer to tourists and farmers, it forced the people to live without water, power supply and network on mobile phones. Many places in Lahaul and Manali recorded minimum temperature of below minus 5 degree Celsius.

Although electricity supply remained a problem in Shimla, it has been restored in most parts of Kullu, including Manali town. However, the villages in Manali remained in darkness.

“There has been no water supply at my place from last four days. Without (mobile) network, I feel as if I’m living in a jungle, not in a state capital,” said Summer Hill resident Rakesh Thakur. “Water in pipes had turned into ice. We had to pour hot water on pipes to get some water,” Manali resident Sushil Channel said. Many people in the tourist town were seen wrapping rags around pipes and lighting them to melt the ice.

As a thick layer of ice covered roads in Manali, traffic was partially affected till afternoon. “Even now, when weather the has cleared up, the state government, district administration and Shimla Municipal Corporation have not taken adequate measures to remove snow due to which we are forced to walk 15-20km on slippery roads. The authorities have cleaned only core areas,” claimed Karam Chand Bhatia, state president of Sant Sri Ravidas Dharam Sabha.

Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan said the town requires around 42MLD water but they could provide only 16MLD to residents, that too just from Gumma source, in the last three-four days. “We removed 85 uprooted trees and removed snow from most roads,” he added.

“Chirgaon, Rohru, transformer has been repaired. The one in Khara Pathar, Jubbal, is getting repaired. Roads are getting cleared and water supply problem may get resolved by Wednesday,” Shimla deputy commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur added. Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus Khan said all places in district will get electricity in the next 24 hours and advised people not to venture close to snow covered secluded areas as sunny days can trigger avalanches.

Water, power lines hit in upper Himachal, 230 stranded in snow

Manali and Shimla shivered at minimum temperatures at minus 2.0 degree and minus 0.8 degrees Celsius respectively.

himachal-snowfall

New Delhi: Power, water and communication lines remained out of order in Shimla and two other upper districts of Himachal Pradesh for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, even as 230 people stranded in snow between Fagu and Kufri were rescued by SSB personnel.

In the national capital, shallow to moderate fog during morning hours delayed services of 41 trains. The maximum temperature settled at 19.3 degrees Celsius and the minimum at 8.6, a notch above the season’s average.

Meanwhile, the IMD said the northwestern plains can witness further dip (of up to 4 notches) in the minimum temperatures from tomorrow.

The tribal areas and upper areas of Shimla, Kullu and Sirmaur districts remained cut off from rest of the state for the fourth consecutive day as vehicular traffic was disrupteddue to slippery road conditions.

A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) spokesperson said the paramilitary force evacuated 230 people stranded in snow between Fagu and Kufri.

“We received a call from the Petroleum ministry that 130 persons (including officers in the ministry and their families) were stuck in snow. Apart from them, some tourists were also rescued,” the spokesperson said.

The water supply pipes froze and burst at several places in higher hills. Several areas of Shimla remained without water for the fourth day while the supply was restored in half a dozen localities.

Manali and Shimla shivered at minimum temperatures at minus 2.0 degree an minus 0.8 degrees Celsius respectively. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh reviewed the situation and ordered release of Rs 25 crore for restoration works.

Out of 565 roads closed due to snow, 208 have been reopened and 194 in Shimla and 63 in Kullu remain to be opened, official said. Similarly out of 700 water supply and irrigation schemes, 248 have been restored, they said.

IMD said with the eastward movement of the current Western Disturbance as an upper air cyclonic circulation lying over north Pakistan and neighbourhood, dry northwesterly cold winds at lower and middle levels are very likely to prevail over northwest India’s plains from tomorrow.

“Under these circumstances, the prevailing minimum temperatures over plains of northwest India are very likely to fall further by 2-4 degree Celsius till 13th morning,” it said.

Cold wave tightened its grip on Kashmir as many places experienced coldest night of the season with famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recording the lowest January temperature in last years at minus 12.4 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature across the Valley and Leh region, except Kokernag, dipped by several notches.

In 2012, Gulmarg recorded the lowest night temperature in the month on January 13, when the mercury settled at minus 16.5 degrees Celsius. The mercury has not dropped below minus 12.0 degrees Celsius at the resort till last night.

Kargil, in the Ladakh region, was another place which recorded its coldest night of the season so far with a low of minus 12.2 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only all-weather road link connecting Kashmir Valley to rest of the country, was opened for traffic, three days after heavy snowfall had led to its closure.

In Punjab and Haryana, the minimum temperatures hovered around the normal levels though fog cover disrupted rail, road and air traffic.

Amritsar in Punjab was the coldest place in the region at 3.8 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. Chandigarh recorded a minimum of 7.1 degrees Celsius. Dense fog was witnessed in Karnal, Hisar, Ambala, Patiala and Ludhiana.

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Piercing Cold Wave Condition Continues In Himachal Pradesh

Several areas of Shimla remained without power supply for the fourth day.

SHIMLA: The piercing cold wave sweeping most parts of Himachal Pradesh further aggravated today as tribal areas and other higher hills virtually froze with minimum temperatures plummeting and staying between minus 13 and minus 18 degree Celsius.

shimla-snowfall

The tribal areas and upper areas of Shimla, Kullu and Sirmaur districts remained cut off from rest of the state for the fourth day today while vehicular traffic was badly disrupted due to slippery road conditions.

Barring Manali which received 4 cm of fresh snow, the weather remained dry in the region.

Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti experienced the coldest night with mercury dropping by nine degree to stay minus 12 degree Celsius while the Kalpa in adjoining Kinnaur district groaned under arctic conditions with mercury slipping to minus 7.6 degree Celsius.

The water pipes froze and burst at several paces in higher hills affecting water supply while, key hill resorts of Manali and Shimla shivered at minimum temperatures at minus 2 degree an minus 0.8 degree Celsius while Bhuntar, Solan and Sundernagar recorded a low of 0.1 degree, 1 degree and 1.5 degree Celsius.

Several areas of Shimla remained without power supply for the fourth day while water supply was restored in half dozen localities as total pumping was only 16 MLD against normal pumping of 34 to 36 MLD.

A sum of Rs. 25 crore was released for restoration of roads, electricity and water in heavy snow affected areas after Chief Minister Virbhadra Sigh reviewed the condition of roads, electricity, and water and essential commodities in the areas affected by heavy snow fall at a high level meeting.

Singh laid special stress on restoration works in Shimla and said that Shimla being the capital, it was face of the state and there should be better preparedness to meet such eventualities.

Singh also ordered an inquiry into reported death of a child in incubator in KNH (Kamla Nehru Hospital) during power breakdown and directed that all the faulty generators in hospitals in Shimla should be immediately repaired or replaced.

Out of 565 roads closed due to snow, 208 had been opened and 394 roads including 194 in Shimla and 63 in Kullu district remained to be opened and 14,000 are working day and night on restoration works, sources said.

Similarly out of 700 water supply and irrigation schemes, 248 schemes had been restored, they claimed.

Jammu-Srinagar Highway Reopens After Three Days

Jammu-Srinagar Highway Reopens After Three Days

SRINAGAR: Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was partially restored on Monday amid cold wave condition in the Kashmir Valley.

jammu-srinagar-highway

According to a traffic department official, heavy vehicles will be allowed to move on the highway on Monday.

“Heavy vehicles will be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar, but not from Srinagar to Jammu,” the official said.

“However, light vehicles will be allowed to move from both sides on the highway.”

Light vehicular movement was restored on the highway on Sunday evening after it remained close for three days.

Air traffic was also restored between the valley and the rest of the country on Sunday.

Rail service between the valley and Bannihal town in the Jammu region resumed on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the Met department has forecast cold and dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir till Tuesday.

“Despite improvement in the weather, the cold wave condition is likely to continue because of chilly wind blowing from snow clad mountains surrounding the valley,” a Met official said.

“The minimum temperature was minus 2.3 degrees Celsius in Srinagar on Monday while the maximum was 3 degree on Sunday.”

“The shortening of the difference between the minimum and the maximum temperatures indicate intense cold in the valley.

“In Pahalgam, the minimum temperature was minus 9.2 degrees Celsius while it was minus 12.4 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg,” the official said.

The Kashmir University has postponed all exams scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Taxi owners, hoteliers ‘fleece’ stranded tourists

Taxi owners, hoteliers ‘fleece’ stranded tourists

taxi-drivers-robbed-tourists

Life still out of gear in Manali where the power supply has been snapped since Friday night because of heavy snowfall. However, the Kullu district administration today opened NH-21 between Kullu-Manali, which was blocked due to heavy snowfall in the region.

The tourists, who were stranded in Manali, took a sigh of relief. They were desperate to move back to their home because heavy snowfall had hampered life and the traffic movement got disrupted. A number of tourists complained that they were overcharged by taxi operators as well as by hoteliers to take the advantage of the situation, while the district administration should be ready to handle such situation, they added.

Sanjiv Kumar, native of Punjab, and Ketan of Delhi, alleged: “Taxi operators were charging exorbitant rates from tourists to drop them to Kullu and even hoteliers were asking higher rates from many tourists, who returned to hotels when they could not get the transportation facility.”

The stranded tourists said there enjoyment turned sour soon when electric supply snapped in Manali and there was no heater for warming and hot water of bathing. Today, as weather became clear, the district administration had pressed the snow-cutting machines between Kullu-Manali from Patlikuhal and the road was thrown open till evening for the traffic.

A heavy rush of tourist vehicles had triggered traffic jam for hours and the police were struggling to handle the traffic.

Talking to The Tribune here, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Yunus Khan stated that the right bank of NH-21 had been opened for traffic between Kullu-Manali, while efforts were on to open the left bank via Naggar. The DC said the authority was taking a close vigil over offenders fleecing tourists and they were advised to complaint directly with the district administration.

The water supply had been restored to the town and efforts were on to restore electricity.

There were around 100 roads, leading to villages, were blocked or damaged because of snowfall and around Rs 2.15 crore losses were assessed by the Public Works Department, Kullu.

Superintendent Engineer of the PWD Lalit Bhushan said 14 JCBs, 4 dozers and more than 1,000 work force had been deployed in snow-clearance work in the region.

It’s sunny but snow blankets Shimla, Manali

The weather would largely remain dry till January 13.

snowfall-shimla-manali

After days of snow and rain in Himachal Pradesh, it was a sunny Monday with the minimum temperature recorded at minus 0.8 degrees Celsius here.

“It was bright and sunny after three days of widespread snow and rain in the state,” a Met official told IANS. With temperatures nose-dived further, Shimla till Monday morning witnessed 53 cm of snow in the past 24 hours.

The capital city’s nearby destinations such as Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda experienced moderate to heavy snowfall.

Many areas here like the Mall Road, the Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills, as well as Manali, Chail, Kasauli, McLeodganj and Dalhousie were covered in snow.

Keylong, district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti, was the coldest in the state with the minimum temperature of minus 12 degree Celsius.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district saw a low of minus 7.6 degrees, while the minimum temperature was 7.2 degrees in Dharamsala.

The snow has cut off Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal, a government official said, adding the road link to towns in upper Shimla is likely to be restored by Monday evening.

Officials said the bad weather had affected road network in the higher reaches of Kinnaur, Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu and Sirmaur districts and efforts were being made to reopen them.

The weather would largely remain dry till January 13, said the weather department.

—IANS

4 labourers buried in Rampur landslide

4 labourers buried in Rampur landslide

rampur-landslide

Four Nepali labourers working in Kashapat road in Rampur area of Shimla district, about 160 km from here, were killed in a massive landslide. The deceased were about to leave after removing the debris from the narrow road, opened on December 31, when a huge rock caved in and they were buried alive under the debris.

Officials along with local people reached the spot immediately after the incident but the rescue operations had to be abandoned due to darkness and looming threat of more landslides due to loose strata on the hill side.

The rescue operations were started again by the administration with the help of local people. However, it took considerable time to extricate the bodies from the debris as the road was narrow with a deep gorge on the other side and only one JCB that could be deployed, said DSP Rampur Som Dutt.

The rescue teams were keeping a constant watch on the hill side to alert the rescuers in case of any geological movement on the hill side that could trigger fresh landslide.

After more than four hours of hard labour, the bodies of all four labourers were recovered after removing huge mound of debris. and handed over to family members after postmortem.

The deceased were identified as Ajay (38), driver of the drilling machine, Lokendra (40), Ram Bahadur (40) and Harendra (22), all of Nepali origin. The district administration has given an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 to the next of kin of the deceased.

The landslide has raise a question mark over the safety of commuters travelling on the road. The casualties could have been more if it was day time as a large number of people cross the risky patch of the road, said a local resident.

Question mark over safety

  • The labourers were about to leave after clearing debris from a road when a huge rock caved in buryingthem underneath.
  • Officials along with local people reached the spot immediately after the incident but the rescue operations had to be abandoned due to darkness and looming threat of more landslides due to loose strata on the hill side.
  • The landslide has raise a question mark over the safety of commuters travelling on the road.

Snowfall in Lahaul & Spiti cripples life

Snowfall in Lahaul & Spiti cripples life

fresh-snowfall-in-lahaul-spiti

Normal life was hit hard in the tribal district of Lahaul & Spiti, which has been cut off from the rest of the world after fresh snowfall at 13,050-ft high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to the district.

A majority of local roads within the district were blocked due to snowfall yesterday, which had hampered the transportation badly while light vehicles were plying on the main routes in the district.

According to locals, biting cold wave conditions have sent the temperature plummeting below the freezing point. The residents have been forced to remain indoors because of the bone-chilling cold.

Himachal Pradesh Road Transportation Corporation Authority has stopped its bus services on all routes across district because of public safety concern as snow has got deposited on the road.

Gram Panchayat Pradhan Mooling Tanjin Angmo said that “fresh snowfall had hampered transportation facility in the region and we have been forced to remain indoors. For the last two days no light or heavy vehicles plied on the local routes because of snow on the road”.

Susheel Kumar, a native of Kolang village, said that the fresh spell of snowfall had given some respite to the farmers in the region, who were waiting desperately for snowfall for a long time.

“However, normal life was hit hard as there was no transportation facility in remote areas on local routes and now we have been cut off with the rest of world with road facility because of fresh snowfall at Rohtang Pass”, he added.

Residents of the district have demanded chopper facility from the state government as journey had been become unsafe on the Manali-Leh highway via Rohtang Pass because of fresh snowfall.

Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul & Spiti Vivek Bhatia said the district administration would request the state government to provide chopper facility for transportation in the district if the Border Roads Organization (BRO) fails to open Rohtang Pass for vehicular moment.

“According to weather forecast, there was prediction of heavy snowfall in the coming days”, he added.

M S Dhoni steps down as captain of India’s ODI and T20I teams

Dhoni had led India to the ICC World T20 title in 2007, to the World Cup victory in 2011 and lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013.

m-s-dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as captain of India’s ODI and T20 International teams, the BCCI said on Twitter.

The 35-year-old had already retired from Test cricket in December 2014. Dhoni had led India to the ICC World T20 tittle in 2007, to the World Cup victory in 2011 and lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013. (History will remember MS Dhoni as the greatest ODI captain ever)

dhoni759

However, he will be available for selection for ODIs & T20Is vs England.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has informed the BCCI, that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game,” a statement from the board read. (MS Dhoni led India in 199 ODIs, 72 T20Is: Stats)

msdhoni1fbl

“He will be available for the selection for the One-Day and T20I series against England and the same has been conveyed to the Senior Selection Committee.”

Commenting on the development, BCCI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rahul Johri said: “On behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats.” (Dhoni made the right decision by stepping down as limited-overs captain: Ganguly)

“Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket,” he added. (Dhoni good enough to continue as a player till 2019 World Cup: Kapil Dev)

dhoni-kohli

 

Test skipper Virat Kohli is the front-runner to replace the wicketkeeper-batsman at the helm. (MS Dhoni’s highs and lows as limited overs captain)

 

Dhoni has been in indifferent form lately and his leadership has increasingly come under the scanner after India lost successive series against Bangladesh, South Africa and Australia in 2015-16. Defending the World Cup in 2015, Dhoni led India to the semifinals before a crushing defeat to Australia. Dhoni had an ordinary time with the bat last year too. He, however, tasted plenty of success as captain of India’s T20 team. Dhoni oversaw a 3-0 whitewash over Australia, a series win over Sri Lanka and the Asia Cup triumph. There was heartbreak in the World T20 when India crashed out in the semifinals against West Indies. Later in the year, Dhoni scripted series victories over Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

  Virat Kohli is likely to take over as captain after having successfully led India to the top of the ICC Test rankings. He was in superb form across all formats last year and scored a staggering 2595 international runs including 1215 runs in Test matches. The three-match ODI series against England will be the last chance Kohli has to prepare before India defend the Champions Trophy in June. India also play three T20 Internationals against England. (Dhoni steps down as India captain: Tendulkar, Sushant Singh Rajput lead tributes)

Virbhadra for developing skills of jobless youth

Developing skills of jobless youth

With the Congress poll promise of grant of unemployment allowance becoming a major political issue, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today once again reiterated his government’s commitment to impart and enhance skills of the jobless youth at a total cost of Rs 1,140 crore and set up a skill university in due course of time.

“These facts make it amply clear that Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal is making an incorrect and politically motivated statement when he says that only 1,000 youth given jobs so far”, said Virbhadra, while addressing a press conference here today.

With Opposition BJP and some of his own party men seeking the grant of unemployment allowance, Virbhadra Singh said no government can sustain unemployment allowance for life so the better way out is to impart skills to the educated youth so that they can become employable.

“We have provided government jobs to 44,463 youth since December 2012 and provided skill development allowance to 1.52 lakh youth for a period of two years since the scheme was launched in 2013,” he stated. He added that the government was also contemplating setting up a skill university in the state in due course of time. He said a budgetary provision of Rs 100 crore was being made annually for skill development.

“I do not want to comment on what he says but the fact is that his mind keeps changing every 24 hours,” the Chief Minister said when asked about Transport Minister GS Bali insisting on fulfilling the promise. The Chief Minister said the government had even made relaxation in the educational qualification for skill training from plus two to eighth standard and in some trades like carpentry and masonry educational qualification is not a criterion.

Industry and Labour Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who was also present, said that a Rs 640 crore Asian Development Bank (ADB) project was being implemented where 65,000 youth will be trained in different vocations. “The government through the Skill Development Corporation has signed MoU with some companies for imparting training and also providing jobs to these youth which ensure job guarantee,” he disclosed.

When asked about the exact number of unemployed youth in the state, Agnihotri said the exact number of such youth was 3.30 lakh.

“As per the survey undertaken by the Department of Economic and Statistics, the number of such youth is 3.30 lakh but the number appears higher as per record of unemployment exchanges as many youth even after getting jobs do not get their names deleted in the hope of better jobs,” he said.

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