Thursday, December 3, 2009

Rohtang Pass re-opened for traffic

M
ANALI - The Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 13,050 feet in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, was Thursday re-opened for vehicular traffic after it remained closed for 24 days after massive snowfall in the region, an official said here.

“The Rohtang Pass re-opened for the traffic this (Thursday) evening. This would now enable the people to reach the tribal Lahaul Valley (in Lahaul and Spiti district),” S.K. Doon, commander of the 38 Task Force of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) - a wing of the Border Road Organisations - that maintains the Manali-Leh highway that passes through the pass.

He said the pass saw three to five feet snowfall Nov 9.

A large number of people had been stranded on both sides of the pass due to its closure.

The weather at the Rohtang Pass, located 52 km from here, is harsh. A sudden drop in temperatures even in summers triggers wintry conditions.

Over 75 people were caught in strong icy winds Nov 20 when they were crossing the Rohtang Pass on foot and 14 died on the spot.

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