Himachal Pradesh: Bad weather forces schools' closure in Chamba; disrupts traffic and electricity supply

DHARAMSHALA: Adverse weather conditions have affected life in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district.
While darkness has enveloped many areas with the electricity supply having been snapped, the district administration was forced to announce the closure of the schools to avoid any untoward incidents. Many roads have been closed.

Acting deputy commissioner of Chamba district Hemraj Bairawa told TOI that almost all the village roads were closed due to snow.The electricity supply has snapped in most of the areas. The restoration work is on, he added.


“Remote sub-divisions are facing the power crisis, but efforts are on to restore the supply. An alert has been issued in the area for closure of the schools. The road connection to Pangi region is already cut off for the last few many days, with flights being the only medium,” he said.

Police headquarters issued a warning asking residents to refrain from moving out on the roads.

Meanwhile, long traffic jams were also witnessed in the area.

“We have issued warning as roads are closed and have turned risky. People are also advised to not burn coal or any other things inside closed rooms as it would lead to fire incidents. It is difficult to carry out rescue as many areas have become inaccessible,” said superintendent of police Monika Bhutungru.

Authorities have issued the emergency numbers of the disaster management authorities and police have advised people to keep their mobile batteries charged due to risk of power failures.
Meanwhile, snowfall was witnessed in Naddi and Mcleodganj areas on Tuesday. People rushed to witness this leading to traffic jams. Many vehicles remained stranded on the roads from Naddi to Dharamshala for more than five hours.