Himachal Pradesh snow: Shimla, Manali turn white on Christmas; 4 dead, roads closed, tourist influx goes up

Tourist hubs such as Shimla and Manali in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh have turned into a white wonderland, so have parts of Jammu and Kashmir with fresh snowfall and temperatures going several degrees below freezing point, bringing cheer to tourists visiting the places for Christmas holiday and also woes for vehicles.

While people are getting to experience ‘white Christmas’ in Shimla, Manali, and other tourist hubs of Himachal Pradesh, snowfall has led to the closure of over 200 roads, a surge in hotel bookings, and four deaths due to vehicle skidding incidents.

Weather, snowfall 

Himachal’s Shimla, Manali turn into white wonderland: Shimla, Manali and several other towns in Himachal Pradesh, popular among tourists, have been receiving snowfall, making this December 25 a ‘white Christmas’, a highly desired sight for tourists around this time of the year.

Social media has been flooded with images of Shimla and Manali beautifully draped in a blanket of snow. The MeT department has reportedly predicted rain and snow at isolated places in some parts of the state, Shimla in particular, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with the downpour peaking on Saturday.

Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders’ Association president MK Seth told news agency 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.

Roads closed in Himachal amid snowfall: While the fresh snowfall across upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh has brought cheer to the tourists, at least 223 roads, including three national highways, were closed in the state due to the same, officials said on Tuesday. 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, PTI reported on Tuesday.

Tourists in hundreds of vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma 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.

Shimla reported most road closures (145), 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. The figure of number of roads closed differed across reports as the work to clear snow was underway. Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the department is ready to handle the tourist influx, adding that a total of 268 machineries, including two snow blowers, have been deployed to clear the roads.

Reports on Monday said four people died in accidents in 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at some places in Himachal Pradesh.

News agency IANS reported on Tuesday that upper Shimla was disconnected from the capital due to slippery roads, with only 4×4 vehicles being allowed.

Kashmir weather: Higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Tuesday with the minimum temperature plummeting several degrees below the freezing point in many parts of the Valley, officials said. The drop in mercury led to freezing of water supply lines even as a thin layer of ice covered the surface of several water bodies.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night, while Pahalgam shivered at minus 7.8 degrees Celsius. The night temperature settled at minus 7.4 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, minus 6.2 degrees in Qazigund, while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore region, was the coldest in the Valley at minus 8.

The Met department has predicted a further dip in minimum temperature by two to three degrees in the next couple of days till December 26. Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — considered the harshest period of winter — which started on December 21.