Chandigarh, December 29: After a fresh spell of snowfall, the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh has been closed for pedestrians. The rescue posts set up at Koksar and Marhi on the Manali-Leh highway were removed on Friday.
The Lahaul-Spiti district administration passed orders in this regard in view of the bone-chilling cold in the hill state. The two posts were set up last month to help visitors in case of any problem.
Sub Divisional Magistrate of Keylong Amar Negi said the residents of Lahaul-Spiti had been asked to avoid crossing the Rohtang Pass on foot as it has been closed for pedestrians. The state government would provide helicopter services to them in case of an emergency. Also, the rescue posts had been removed from Marhi and Koksar as no one would be available to help the visitors.
In view of the bad weather, Kullu district administration has issued an advisory for tourists and locals not to venture to higher reaches of the district.
In Shimla, the minimum temperature was 2.7 degrees Celsius while the temperature in Dalhousie settled at 1.6 degrees. Also, Solan, Chamba and Sundernagar recorded sub-zero temperatures while Manali, Rohtang and Kalpa received fresh snowfall.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh recorded the season’s coldest night so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, which is two notches below the normal. Adampur in Punjab was the coldest place in the two states with a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius. Dense fog affected normal life in many places in the region.
Source Indian Express
