Snow maroons Himachal’s Lahaul valley

MANALI - The picturesque Lahaul Valley in Himachal Pradesh’s tribal Lahaul and Spiti district has been once again cut-off from the rest of the world due to heavy snowfall, an official said Saturday.

“The Lahaul Valley has been cut off from the rest of the world following the recent heavy snowfall in the region,” Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan told IANS on phone from Keylong, the district headquarters town.

He said the entire district has been experiencing moderate to heavy snow in the past few days.

“The road connectivity to the valley from Manali side has been snapped due to closure of the Rohtang Pass after snow. Now, the chances of reopening of the pass are quite remote,” he said.

The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), which re-opened Dec 3 after it remained closed for 24 days after massive snowfall, again closed Nov 10.

S.K. Doon, commander of the 38 Task Force of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF), a wing of the Border Road Organisations that maintains the Manali-Leh highway that passes through the Rohtang Pass, said now the reopening of the pass is not feasible.

“The reopening of the Rohtang Pass is not feasible now due to harsh climatic conditions in higher reaches,” he said.

Shimla-based meteorological office director Manmohan Singh said the minimum temperature in the entire Lahaul and Spiti district is between minus 3.2 degrees Celsius and minus 9 degrees.

Lahaul and Spiti district, populated mainly by tribals, remains cut-off from the rest of the country for more than six months in the year owing to heavy snowfall. The climatic conditions of the landlocked district are harsh as it falls under a cold desert.