File photo
Shimla/Kullu
At least 70 people stranded in snow-bound Lahaul Spiti, 13,050 ft high Rohtang Pass, Kokisar and Udaipur could not evacuated till Tuesday afternoon as fresh snowfall disrupted rescue operation that began on a war-footing yesterday, district administration claimed.
Mr Sher Singh, district spokesman for Kullu told media that about 70 people, mostly drivers and ITBP jawans, who are stranded at 13,050 high Rohtang pass in their vehicles, and others at Koksar and Udaipur in Lahual valley could not evacuated till this afternoon.
He said that Rohtang Pass is extremely cold as normal temperature was looming at nearly minus 15 to 20 degree in the day itself.
SDM Manali was personally looking after the rescue operation to clear about three to four feet snowfall from Manali-Keylong highway between Merhi to Koksar.
Border Road Organisation was forced to stop the snow clearing operation after experiencing snowfall this afternoon.
District administration had, on Sunday, announced that about 46 drivers were stranded on the Rohtang Pass and Koksar Manali-Keylong highway and about 24 people of a marriage party at Udaipur .
As the weather improved on Monday, heavy machinery were pressed into service to clear the snow between 45 km long stretch of Koksar of Lahual and Merhi of Kulu.
Mr Singh told UNI that since phone and mobile connections snapped between Kullu and Lahaul Valley, no link could be established with those stranded.
Some drivers, ITPB jawan who were stranded at Rohtang Pass are likely to return as it is not possible to brave the minus 15 to minus 20 degree temperature on the higher reaches.
Evacuating the stranded in extreme cold wave from the Lahaul valley by road and rescue operation would take couple of days to clear the snow from the Rohtang pass.
Dry weather in the night and clouds in the day intensifying the cold wave condition in the Lahaul Spiti district as night temperature were keeping several degree low in minus below freezing temperature.
Minimum temperature of Keylong was at minus 6.5 degrees last night and about four degree down from the normal.
Lahaul Spiti and few part of Kullu are under thicket of clouds for last few days and due to a fresh feeble western disturbances brought snow blizzard in the high reaches.
The entire Lahaul and Spiti vallies were reeling under the cold wave as thick blankets of snow was keeping normal lives out of gear.
Despite pressing Heavy machinery to clear snowfall BRO could not open the snow-bound roads to restore the Manali Leh road for last five days.