Heavy snowfall hits life in Chamba, higher hills

Shimla: Resort towns of Shimla, Kufri, Manali, Dharamsala, Chamba and Dalhousie received moderate to heavy snowfall in the last 24 hours, throwing normal life out of gear.

Heavy snowfall in Chamba has snapped all major road links.
Reports said that two people lost lives in the past 24 hours in Chamba district when they were hit by lightning.

More than 50 tourists and half a dozen of patients are stranded in Chamba area after being cut of from rest of the state, reports said.

The life in tribal areas Kinnaur, Bhaurmour, Lahal Spiti and Chamba has been hit as snowfall disrupted power supply and affected supplies of essential items like of milk and vegetables.

Hills overlooking the tourist resort of Manali in Kullu district have been experiencing heavy snow. With weathermen predicting worse conditions in the coming days, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has directed the administration to ensure safety of the general public.

The concerned authorities have been directed to clear snow from the roads to facilitate smooth movement of traffic. Essential commodities have been stocked to meet the requirements of people living in difficult areas .

On Saturday lower hills of the state received snowfall after over half a century.

The people in Nurpur, Nagrota Surian and Chintpurni were excited to see snowfall after nearly 48 years.

The people woke up to a big surprise as they saw the entire are coveredunder a thin layer of snow. Most of the people saw the snowfall for the first time while the elderly people described as “pleasant surprise” after nearly a half century.