Several places in Himachal Pradesh have received heavy snow.
Normal life was thrown out of gear in Himachal as 493 roads were closed following widespread rains and snow and there was no respite from biting cold wave as minimum temperatures stayed three to seven degree below normal.
Water pipes froze and burst at many places in middle and higher hills, including Shimla, thick ground frost was seen in middle and lower hills and fog disrupted traffic in more than a dozen towns along riverbeds and reservoirs.
Shimla, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts, which experienced rain and snow, were worst-hit and 300 of the 493 roads were closed in Shimla zone alone. Dozens of HRTC buses were stranded, while 100 buses were not sent to snowbound areas. The Hindustan-Tibet Highway was closed beyond Dhalli and Rampur-bound buses were routed via Basantpur and Kingal.
As many as 151 roads were closed in Rampur, 96 in Rohru, 48 in Shimla, 119 in Dalhousie, 44 in Mandi and 22 in Kullu. As many as 297 JCBs, 37 tippers and 16 dozers have been deployed for clearing roads. Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association president Sanjay Sood said the hotel occupancy in Shimla was over 80 per cent and the bookings were on as the number of walk-in tourist was on the rise.
Comment: Just under 3 weeks ago: Up to 30 FEET deep snow banks in Iceland - 'We've never before had snow on this scale'