Shimla/Manali, Jan 23 (IANS) After much delay, the Himachal Pradesh capital and Manali on Friday experienced the season’s first snowfall, leading to a surge of tourists to savour the snow-covered landscape and ending over three-month draught.

“Shimla and its nearby areas have been experiencing snowfall since morning, and this is the season’s first snowfall in Shimla town,” an official of the Meteorological Department here told IANS.

Places near Shimla, like Kufri and Narkanda, have also been experiencing snowfall, turning the tourist destinations more picturesque.

As news of the snowfall spread, tourists will flock to Shimla, known for the imperial grandeur of its buildings that were once institutions of power when the town served as the summer capital of British India. Likewise, another picturesque tourist resort, Manali in the Kullu district, has been experiencing snowfall.

“We are thankful to god for this white spell,” said Nidhi Gupta, a tourist from Punjab’s Ludhiana, who was in Shimla along with her friends.

The snowy landscape in Shimla would stay for one-two days, an official of the MeT Office said. “High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Mandi and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate snow,” the official said.

The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in the Kangra valley got a fresh blanket of snow cover. Kalpa, some 250 km from the state capital, and Keylong in the Lahaul and Spiti district experienced heavy spells of snow.

Lower areas of the state like Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received rain, bringing down the temperature considerably.

The snowfall has brought relief to farmers and fruit growers, whose orchards had been under stress due to extreme dry conditions in the past three months.

Meanwhile, traffic movement beyond Dhalli, 10 km from Shimla, was suspended as a large stretch of the Hindustan-Tibet Road was under a thick blanket of snow. The entire Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district, such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal are cut off due to heavy snow, a government official said.

The MeT Office said a Western disturbance — a storm system originating from the Mediterranean-Caspian Sea region and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region — would remain active till Sunday, bringing in more rain and snow. After the opening of the skies, the minimum temperature could plummet by three to four notches, a weatherman warned.

–IANS

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