Snowfall in Himachal leads to closure of 223 roads, Shimla hotel room occupancy rises to 70%

At least 223 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Tuesday. Snowfall was recorded in the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts.

Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association president MK Seth told PTI that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 per cent.

The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added.

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.

Tourists in about 500 vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma told PTI Videos.

According to reports, four people died in accidents during the past 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at some places, he added.

A maximum 145 roads were closed in Shimla, followed by 25 in Kullu and 20 in Mandi districts. Some areas were without electricity after 356 transformers stopped working, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.

Sharma advised the tourists to adhere to the advisories issued by the district administration and the police, listen to suggestions from locals and refrain from driving in the snow.

December snow is considered good for apples as it provides moisture to the soil. The snowfall will also boost tourism, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh told reporters.

Singh, who reviewed the road situation with officials, said a tourist influx was expected in Shimla, Kullu-Manali and Dalhousie.

The department is ready to handle the tourist influx. A total of 268 machineries, including two snow blowers, have been deployed to clear the roads, he said.

Khadrala received 24 cm of snow, followed by Sangla (16.5 cm), Shillaro (15.3 cm), Chopal and Jubbal (15 cm each), Kalpa (14 cm), Nichar (10 cm), Shimla (7 cm), Pooh (6 cm) and Jot (5 cm).

Snowfall was also witnessed in the suburbs of Manali and Dalhousie late on Monday while a few places in the mid and lower hills received light rain.

The Met office has predicted rain and snow at isolated places in some parts of the state and Shimla in particular from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the precipitation peaking on Saturday.

An intense cold wave persisted in the lower hills of Mandi while a cold wave was witnessed in Una and Chamba. Dense, moderate and shallow fog was witnessed in Bilapsur, Sundernagar and Mandi, respectively, the Met office said.

The weather office has issued an 'orange' warning for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi and 'yellow' warning for dense fog over parts of the Bhakra dam reservoir area and the Balh Valley in Mandi till Thursday.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti district was coldest in the state, recording a night temperature of minus 6.9 degrees Celsius while Una was hottest with a day temperature of 21.4 degrees.

The post-monsoon rainfall deficit from October 1 to December 24 was at 92 per cent of a normal of 70.4 mm.