Shimla: Intense cold persisted in Himachal
Pradesh on Tuesday despite a marginal increase in day temperatures
due to a cloud cover.
Though residents woke up to a clear sky in the morning,
soon it became overcast and by the afternoon Shimla and its
surrounding areas were lashed by sleet accompanied by strong
velocity icy winds, causing a sharp fall in day temperature.
Saloni and Seobagh in Chamba district recorded 10cm and
9cm of fresh Snow while mid and lower hills of the state
experienced widespread intermittent rains.
Guler was wettest in the region with 55 mm rains,
followed by Kheri and Kangra 49 mm, Hamirpur 47 mm and
Dharamsala 45.
Manali was coldest in non-tribal areas with a low of
minus one degrees Celsius followed by Shimla at 0.2 degrees
celsius, Dharamsala at 2.1 degrees Celsius and Solan 3 degrees
Celsius.
The local MeT office has predicted more rains and snow at
isolated places during the next 48 hours and cautioned that a
fresh western disturbance would affect the state and the
western Himalayan regions from January 21 onwards.
Meanwhile, officials said that efforts are afoot to
restore normalcy in snow-affected areas and almost all major
roads except Shimla-Rampur National Highway via Narkanda,
Shimla-Chopal via Theog and Shimla-Rohru via Kharapathar have
been opened for traffic.
The other roads are likely to be opened for vehicular
traffic in a day while National Highway 22 has been cleared
upto Matiana and work to open Shimla-Rohru via Kharapathar was
underway, he added.
The electricity supply in Kullu and Manali towns have
been restored while interiors of Chamba districts remained
without power for the 12th day today.
Efforts are also being made to restore electricity in
Kinnaur, Kaza and Chopal within next one or two days and other
interior areas.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 18:55