Tourists spend nights in vehicles, on roads after snowfall in Manali

Shimla: The winter snowfall charm could sometimes be the biggest nightmare and even life–threatening for the tourists venturing to the hills.

Even as thousands of tourists, braving Omicron and Covid threats, have thronged hill destinations of Manali, Rohtang Tunnel and Solang Nullah, during the past one week but few were compelled to spend nights in the vehicles or on roads, on Wednesday night, reports suggest.

The tourists who drove to Rohtang Tunnel and Solang nullah – both experiencing snowfall since December 31, got stranded due to blockade of the road after the day on their return. The tourists also included women, children and aged persons.

Hundreds of tourists' vehicles including private cars, taxis and 20 to 25 buses/travelers, got stuck in the heavy snow and also the road which turned very slippery posing a grave risk to their lives.

There was a long traffic jam on the Manali-Rohtang Tunnel road as the vehicles started skidding and rolling on the fresh snow and frost.

Finally, some tourists left their vehicles and started walking towards their hotels in Manali as others chose to remain stuck inside their vehicles. The foot journey back to their hotels with luggage and children was a nightmare in extreme cold conditions.

The police, however, claimed that all the tourists were rescued little after the mid-night as a few including women, children and aged were escorted back to their hotels safely.

Srikant Bose, alongwith with his wife, two children and aged mother, got stuck in the snow for more than three hours.

"We decided to wave through the snow and slippery road to reach the hotel leaving back our taxi. I thought my mother, aged 72 year, will die as she was shivering. The kids too were unable to bear the cold and distress of being struck in the snow during the night," he recalled as they reached Manali only early morning at 1.50 am.

With shoes and clothes completely drenched in snow, the tourists remember a dangerous night walk back to their hotels. Many could not leave and spent their night inside the vehicles.

The district police in Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti issue daily advisories and also alerts for the tourists relating to the road and weather conditions but not all adhere to the guidelines and thus create problems for the police, and put their own lives in danger, admits SP Kullu Gurdev Sharma.

As per Lahaul Spiti police, the road for 4x4 vehicles from Sissu to north Portal (Lahaul side) is fine for traffic, but due to heavy snowfall from South Portal towards Solang Nala the road is still closed for traffic.

Shimla –the capital also continues to get tourists arrivals after snowfall at Kufri, Narkanda and Fagu though Shimla town is still dry.

The state government has not imposed any restrictions on the tourists movements in the state though a night curfew has been imposed following a spurt in cases and Omicron threat.