Thaindian News

Shimla, Nov 15 (IANS) The hills of Himachal Pradesh experienced a fresh spell of snowfall and rains Sunday morning, leading to a sharp dip in temperatures.
Meteorological office director Manmohan Singh said the high hills saw snowfall while it rained over the lower hills, bringing with it cold wave conditions.

“The high-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla, Chamba and Kullu districts again experienced moderate to heavy snow,” Singh told IANS.

He said Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti known as the coldest human habitation in the state, recorded a minimum of -6 degrees Celsius.

In Kinnaur district, Kalpa and Chitkul, the last Indian village on the India-China border, also witnessed snowfall. Kalpa recorded a low of -2 degrees Celsius.

The Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet) and the Baralacha Pass (16,020 ft) - located on the Manali-Leh highway - also experienced snowfall.

The majestic Rohtang Pass, closed since Nov 9, has not been reopened for motorists as it is under three to four feet of snow.

Snow clearing work has been on for the past six days on the Rohtang Pass, said S.K. Doon of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF), a government agency that maintains the Manali-Leh highway that passes through Rohtang Pass.

Other areas of the state, including Dharamsala, Shimla, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur and Mandi received moderate rain, bringing the temperature down considerably.