Hindustan-Tibet highway partially reopens

Shimla, Jan 18 (PTI) The 350km long Hindustan-TibetNational Highway, blocked since January 14 after heavysnowfall, was today reopened for vehicular traffic up toJeory, even as intense cold condition in Himachal Pardeshcontinued unabated.

The state road transport corporation HRTC today operatedits buses to Rampur and Jeory via Theog and Narkanda afterparts of the highway were cleared for traffic, but drivingremains dangerous due to slush.

The highway remains closed beyond Bhabha Nagar, while theSamdoh-Kaza road is also blocked by heavy snow.

The Shimla-Rohroo road was opened up to Kotkhai butJubbal and Rohroo were still cut off from rest of the districtdue to heavy snow at Kharapatthar.

Similarly, the Kiratpur-Manali Highway has been openedto traffic till Manali and efforts are on to make the roadclear up to Solang Nallah ski slops.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature at many placeshovered around the freezing point and the day temperaturesremained five to nine degrees Celsius below normal in mid andlower hills.

The state capital Shimla recorded a low of 2.1 deg Cwhile Solan recorded a low of minus 0.4 deg C, followed bySundernagar at 0.1 deg C.

Bhuntar, Una and Dharamsala each recorded a low of 1.4deg C, while Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti andKinnaur districts settled for minus 11.4 deg C and minus 6.2deg C respectively.

Water supply remained affected in some parts of Shimlatown and upper areas of Theog and Narkanda as water in pipesfroze after mercury dipped below zero deg C.

During the day, Mandi and Sundernagar recorded a high of9.4 degree C, nine places below normal, while Bhuntar andPalampur recorded a high of 8.2 and 10 deg C respectively.

Kalpa and Keylong witnessed 6 cm and 4 cm of snowfalllast night, but there was no snowfall in any other part of thestate during past 24 hours, MeT office said.

Weathermen have predicted mainly dry weather during next24 hours.