Shimla : Hundreds of vehicles, including state transport buses, remained stranded between Fagu and Kufri today following a fresh spell of snowfall today.
Shimla, Kufri and Mashobra received the first snowfall of the year, bringing cheer to tourists.
The district administration and the police managed to clear the Fagu-Kufri road for traffic after machinery was pressed into service to clear the snow. Traffic remained suspended in the state capital for more than an hour.
Snowfall in Kinnaur, Chamba, Lahaul and Spiti and Shimla district resulted in four national highways and 53 roads getting blocked for vehicular movement. Thirtyeight roads were blocked in Dalhousie, seven in Shimla, three in Kangra and two in Mandi.
in Shimla, tourists could be seen dancing and singing on The Mall and The Ridge. The city received 6.4 cm of snow, followed by Sarahan (6 cm) and Kothi and Bijai (2 cm). The maximum and minimum temperatures in the state capital was 5 degree Celsius and 0.7 degrees Celsius.
The state is in the grip of a severe cold wave, with Keylong recording a minimum temperature of -10.5, Kalpa -3, Manali -1.2, Dalhousie -0.6, Solan -2, Dharamsala -2.8. Palampur -4, Una and Bhuntar -4.6, Mandi -6.0, and Hamirpur -6.5. The local meteorological centre has issued a warning of thunderstorm accompanied by hail and lightening at isolated places in the low and middle hills on January 6 and 7.
Tourists rejoice
Mandi: Manali received year’s first snowfall on Sunday, bringing joy to visitors and hoteliers. Tourists were seen capturing photos on the Mall Road. A large number of tourists are already camping in Manali for the five-day Manali Winter Carnival, which kicked off on January 2. Many of them rushed to the Solang valley to enjoy snow activities. Rakesh Gupta, a tourist hailing from Delhi, said he was delighted to see snowfall in Manali. The Jalori pass, which connects Ani and Nirmand with the main Kullu district headquarters, on NH-305 has been blocked for traffic due to snow. Few routes were blocked in the Lag valley, Banjar and Sainj. Similarly, higher reaches of Mandi district received considerable snowfall.