By IANS,
Shimla : Heavy rain and snowfall in the past two days wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh Saturday, triggering landslides in many areas and stranding vehicles in the upper mountain reaches.
In the state capital, traffic came to a halt in several areas due to landslides and uprooted trees blocking the roads, causing inconvenience to thousands of weekend tourists and local residents.
The incessant rain has caused widespread damage to private and public property in the state.
Traffic on the Circular Road here, the lifeline of Shimla, came to a halt in the morning as huge Deodar trees (Himalayan cedar) collapsed on the roads in various areas.
Traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali Highway No. 21 was blocked. National Highway 22 too remained blocked due to landslides in Kinnaur district.
“We are trying to clear the blockades,” Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner P.S. Draike told IANS.
“If the rainfall stops, we will be able to clear most of the highway by evening,” Draike added.
Hundreds of vehicles have been stranded on both sides of the 13,050 ft high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti valley, since Friday evening.
Almost all high altitude reaches of the state have been experiencing moderate to heavy snowfall during the past 48 hours.
Met department director Manmohan Singh said there would be more rain and snowfall at most places in the state this weekend.