Kamal Ghorui
Severe snowfall along with rain brought daily life in Himachal Pradesh almost to a halt on Friday, with roads blocked and power supply badly affected in several parts of the state. The sudden spell of harsh weather disrupted movement, left many areas in the dark, and forced authorities to restrict travel. As per the UNI reports, as many as 563 roads in Himachal Pradesh were rendered unusable due to the accumulation of heavy snowfall, as stated by the data provided by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Even some of the major highways, like NH-03 and NH-50, were not left untouched from the wrath of the power outage, as 4,797 distribution transformers were rendered unserviceable due to the power outage. In the worst weather conditions experienced in the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, the heavy snowfall resulted in the closure of around 290 roads in the area. This led to further isolation of the tribal district from the neighboring areas. Some of the roads that were closed include the Koksar-Rohtang Pass, the Darcha-Sarchu road, and the Gramphu-Batal road.
Similarly, Chamba district was severely hit and reported 105 blocked roads, especially in Pangi, Tissa, Salooni and Bharmour. Una reported 70 roads being closed, while Mandi saw 64 roads blocked. Other affected districts included Sirmaur with 20 closed roads, Kullu with nine, Kangra with four and Solan with one. The districts of Bilaspur and Hamirpur were the only two that remained unscathed. In Shimla district, due to the district emergency office itself without electricity, a complete assessment could not be done regarding the road position.Read more: First major snowfall of the season sweeps Himachal Pradesh, blankets Shimla, Manali and Lahaul-Spiti; IMD issues Orange Alert Power outages were widespread, with Solan district reporting the highest number of affected transformers at 1,856. This was followed by Mandi with 901 disrupted transformers, Kullu with 682, Chamba with 659 and Sirmaur with 624. Lahaul and Spiti reported 53 affected transformers, while Una reported two, as per SEOC data. Weather conditions in Shimla were particularly harsh. The Shimla Meteorological Office reported that temperatures in the state capital dropped well below normal levels. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 0°C and a maximum of just 0.6°C, compared to the usual range of 3°C to 11°C. Shimla also received around 25 cm of snowfall during the day. In Kullu district, fresh snowfall measuring nearly 45 cm, or about one and a half feet, forced authorities to suspend vehicular movement on major roads. Nearby areas such as Patlikuhal recorded around six cm of snow, while Banjar, Sainj, Anni and Nirmand experienced rainfall.
Traffic on the NH-03 stretch between Jhiri and Manali came to a complete stop after heavy snow accumulated near the 18 Mile point. The Manali–Atal Tunnel Rohtang road was also closed as a precautionary measure. Similarly, the Aut–Luhri section of NH-305 was shut after snow buildup reached nearly three feet in some stretches.Read more: Snowfall blankets Katra: Vaishno Devi pilgrimage temporarily suspended, chopper services also hitWhen a tree fell close to the Manikaran Gurudwara and blocked the Bhuntar–Manikaran road (DMR-30), local mobility in Kullu was significantly impacted. The Ramshila (Kullu)–Manali route via the left bank is still officially available, but dangerous road conditions caused cars travelling to Manali to be stopped at Patlikuhal. Authorities have urged both residents and tourists to avoid non-essential travel and strictly follow official advisories. Officials said restoration work and road clearance operations will begin once weather conditions improve.
