Heavy snowfall causes 4 km traffic jam near Manali
With vacations and snow-capped Himalayan peaks beckoning tourists, several thronged the state of Himachal Pradesh. However, in a major upset, traffic movement came to a standstill at the Manali-Solang Nala route, with vehicles lining up for a stretch of four kilometers, as heavy snowfall continued on Monday. The thick snow resulted in a traffic jam for hours on the route. Here are more details.
Manali-Keylong route also affected; traffic movement resumed today
According to ANI, trucks and private cars lined up on the Manali-Solang Nala route as people stepped out of their vehicles, waiting for authorities to clear the snow off the road. The Manali-Keylong route also remained packed until the local administration cleared the snow and resumed traffic on Tuesday. The bus service between Keylong and Kullu is also expected to resume.
'We took a cab, but ended up walking'
A tourist, Supriya, told ANI, "We've come here from Bengaluru to explore the mountains but there's too much traffic. We took a cab, but ended up walking. We also faced difficulty in finding hotel rooms." "There's too much traffic. Our cab was stuck in jam and we had to get down," said another tourist, who had hailed a Rs. 1,200 taxi for his journey.
Season's first snowfall hit Manali two weeks ago
Manali received its first snowfall this season two weeks ago and since then, the tourist footfall has only increased. Regions of Gulaba, Solang, Kothi near Manali and Kalpa (Kinnaur district) and Keylong (Lahaul and Spiti district) also experienced snowfall.
Cold wave hits North India
While Manali has been experiencing sub-zero temperatures, Keylong recorded the lowest minimum temperature at -14.3°C. Down south, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3°C on Monday. The national capital is likely to witness the longest cold spell in December after 1997. According to the India Meteorological Department, December 25 onwards, cold wave conditions will further increase for Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.
