Snowstorm brings Manali to standstill; tourists stranded overnight, patient dies in ambulance
CHANDIGARH: Heavy snowfall has brought the hill-station of Manali in Himachal Pradesh to a standstill. The snowstorm made the Republic Day long weekend recluse an inconvenient adventure for many.
Power and water supply was interrupted in several areas due to the snowfall. All educational institutions were closed yesterday in the Banjar and Manali sub-divisions.
Sources said that more than 600 tourists were stranded along the 15-km-long Patlikul-Manali stretch. Many tourists reportedly spent the night inside their vehicles due to the road blockages.
Congestion was reported at multiple places including the police station area, Volvo stand, Rangri, Tibetan School, Aloo Ground and 17 Mile.
Snowfall exceeded two feet in height at many places, turning roads into icy traps and making vehicular movement nearly impossible. Vehicles skidded uncontrollably on the slippery roads, leading to minor collisions and damage as vehicles piled up across narrow stretches.
The district administration deplyped relief teams to assist stranded tourists, distributing food and drinking water at vulnerable points.
In this traffic congestion and disruption, an ambulance carrying a heart patient was stuck near Rangri for nearly four hours yesterday as the patient was being referred from Manali to Mandi. The patient died due to delayed medical assistance.
Relief operations were intensified on Sunday morning. Snow was cleared from the national highways. The left-bank road and most internal roads within Manali town were also restored for vehicular movement.
It is expected that the traffic movement will normalise soon, allowing stranded tourists to move ahead safely.
Despite snowfall and peak winter conditions suitable for tourism, hotels in Manali recorded relatively low occupancy of around 55-60 per cent, as a large number of visitors remained stuck on the roads and could not reach the tourist destination.
Around a dozen tourists stranded in the Raghupurgarh-Sojha area of Banjar subdivision were safely rescued following the intervention of locals.
Six locals residents managed to reach the tourist group and escorted them towards Sojha and Jibhi.
As per the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) bulletin around 683 roads across the hill state including two national highways NH-03 (Koksar–Darcha) and NH-505 (Gramphu–Batal) were blocked.
In Lahaul-Spiti district, 290 roads were blocked, including the Koksar–Rohtang Pass, Darcha–Sarchu and Gramphu–Batal. The Manali–Lahaul road via the Atal Tunnel remained closed.
Out of the 4,797 affected transformers, 1,856 are in Solan, 901 in Mandi, 682 in Kulu, 659 in Chamba, 624 in Sirmour, 53 in Lahaul and Spiti, 20 in Kinnaur and two in Una.
Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) minister Vikramaditya Singh said heavy machinery was being deployed for snow clearance.
"JCBs and poclain machines are continuously engaged in clearing roads in hilly areas. Higher reaches have received 2.5 to 3 feet of snow, while high-altitude areas have recorded up to 4 feet, making road clearance time-consuming," he said.