Kamal Ghorui
Heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district has triggered a large-scale rescue and snow clearance operation near the Atal Tunnel in Manali, leaving more than a thousand vehicles stranded and prompting urgent intervention by authorities. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been carrying out continuous snow clearance work at the South Portal of the Atal Tunnel since Monday afternoon, following intense snowfall in the region. Deputy Commissioner of Kullu, Anurag Chand Sharma, told the ANI that the operation was initiated as soon as weather conditions began deteriorating. The sudden spell of snow caught hundreds of tourists off guard, particularly those who had travelled from Manali to nearby areas such as Sissu and the Atal Tunnel to experience fresh snowfall over the weekend. As conditions worsened, roads became dangerously slippery, making return journeys nearly impossible. By Sunday evening, more than 1,000 vehicles were stuck in and around the Atal Tunnel, leading to severe traffic congestion both inside and outside the tunnel. Many travellers were forced to spend the night inside their vehicles, with some remaining stranded for nearly 20 hours in freezing conditions.Read more: 10 countries with the highest bird species in the world; India also secures a spot A number of vehicles were guided back to Manali by late Sunday night, whereas the rest was carried out on Monday. “We managed to safely guide around 700 of the over 1,000 stranded vehicles from Atal Tunnel to Manali Sunday night. The remaining 300 vehicles were brought back to Manali by Monday afternoon. We had a team of 40 personnel, but heavy snowfall kept hampering the operation,” Manali DSP K D Sharma, who took part in the operation, told TOI. However, challenges persisted. Around 100 vehicles were still reported stranded near Dhundi as rescue teams continued operations in difficult weather conditions. The Manali–Atal Tunnel highway was subsequently closed at Nehru Kund as a precautionary measure to prevent further movement into affected zones. Significant snowfall has been recorded in this area, with more than two feet of snow recorded in and around the Atal Tunnel and other high-altitude areas. Some popular tourist spots such as Solang Valley, Gulaba, Kothi, Jalori Pass, and areas in and around Lahaul-Spiti such as Keylong, Sissu, and Koksar have recorded fresh snowfall. The impact of the weather was also felt in other areas of Kullu.Read more: Asia’s largest Tulip Garden opens in Srinagar, marking arrival of spring; CM Omar Abdullah inaugurates it today Many of the high mountainous passes, such as the Rohtang Pass, Baralacha La, Kunzum Pass, and Shinku La, received heavy snowfall, while the mid and lower hill regions received moderate to heavy rainfall. Other areas, such as Shimla, Mandi, Kangra, and Chamba, also experienced thunderstorms, lightning, and even hailstorms in certain areas. In Shimla, Khadrala received 10.2 cm of snowfall, followed by Kalpa, which received 6.4 cm of snowfall. Gondhla and Jot also received about 3 cm of snowfall each. Kukumseri also received about 1.5 cm of snowfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of continued unstable weather conditions due to an approaching western disturbance, expected to affect northwest India from the night of March 17. Its impact is likely to be experienced across Himachal Pradesh from March 18 to March 21. An Orange Alert has been issued for March 18 and 19, during which thunderstorms, lightning, and hailstorms are expected in certain districts such as Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, and Sirmaur. It is advised that tourists and locals should not travel to high-altitude areas unless necessary. At the same time, police have been deployed in affected areas to take care of traffic and any people who may still be stranded.
