Shimla . Heavy snowfall covered Himachal Pradesh with a white blanket.
While half a foot of snow has fallen in Jakhu in the capital Shimla in the last 24 hours, up to 1 foot of snow has accumulated in the famous tourist destinations Kufri and Narkanda. Heavy snowfall has also been recorded in the higher reaches of Manali, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti. This pattern of weather has made the tourists happy but has created problems for the local administration and residents.
There has been a sharp drop in the temperature and black-out in Himachal due to snowfall and rain. The maximum temperature of the state has gone down by 8 degrees below normal, while a drop of about 13 degrees Celsius has been recorded in the mercury in the last 24 hours. A ‘black-out’ like situation prevailed in the capital Shimla on Friday, where there was no electricity in 95 percent areas of the city. At present, more than 950 electricity transformers are stalled across the state, due to which people are facing a lot of trouble in the harsh winter.
The pace of the state has slowed down due to heavy snowfall. The connectivity of Upper Shimla including Theog, Rohru, Rampur and Chaupal has been cut. Road connectivity has been completely broken in Lahaul-Spiti, Bharmour and Pangi areas of Chamba. About 550 roads across the state are closed for traffic. Many tourists were stuck on the roads amid bad weather, who were safely rescued by the police and taken to Shimla.
There is no hope of relief till January 27. The Meteorological Department has predicted that due to the activity of western disturbance, the rain and snowfall will continue till January 27. The department has issued a warning of ‘cold-day’ and strong winds with dense fog. The administration has advised tourists and local people not to go to high hilly areas and stay in safe places.