By IANS,
Shimla : The Manali-Leh highway, one of the highest motorable roads in the world, was closed to traffic Saturday due to snowfall, an official said.
The 474-km long highway passes through cold deserts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
“In the wake of fresh snowfall at Rohtang Pass (4,883m), Baralachala Pass (4,883m), Lachulunga (5,065m), and Tanglangla (5,360m), it’s not advisable to travel on the highway,” Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner C. Paul Rasu told IANS.
“As a precautionary measure, we have decided to close the traffic on the National Highway 21 from Nov 15 onwards,” he added.
The highway will now be opened for traffic in May-end.
Rasu said in the next few days temporary barricades erected at various places between the Baralachala Pass and Sarchu would be dismantled.