Sandakphu witnesses season's first snowfall

Darjeeling: Sandakphu, the highest point of the State received the first snowfall of this season. The sudden snowfall has elevated spirits of tourists visiting the Hills.

"It started snowing lightly on Saturday night. Sandakphu woke up to snow on Sunday to the delight of the tourists. At present there are tourists from the State and neighbouring Sikkim" stated Anil Tamang of the Singhalila Land Rover Owners Association.

Incidentally Sandakphu located at an altitude of 11,930 feet is the highest point of West Bengal. Located in the Singhalila National Park it is a world famous trekking spot. Sandakphu offers breathtaking views of the Mount Everest, Mount Kanchenjunga and is a famous sunrise viewing spot.

"Out of the 80 Land Rovers, 16 are at present in Sandakphu, carrying tourists. The tourists enjoyed the snow to the fullest, built snowmen and had snow fights" added Tamang.

The upper reaches of Sikkim also witnessed snowfall. Meanwhile Darjeeling town and surrounding areas experienced rains in the wee hours of Sunday with plummeting temperatures.

"We hope it snows in Darjeeling too. It will be a bonus for us" stated Aditya Sen, a tourist from Kolkata. The day saw overcast skies. Darjeeling recorded a minimum temperature of 5 degrees and 5.2mm of rainfall on Sunday.

"The dip in temperature is owing to western disturbances over Sikkim and adjoining sub Himalayan West Bengal. The same weather condition will prevail for the next 48 hours with snowfall in the higher reaches and rainfall in lower areas" stated Dr. Gopinath Raha of IMD, Gangtok.