Shimla: Hundreds of tourists travelling towards the Kullu-Manali destination in Himachal Pradesh were inconvenienced Monday after the closure of roads due to landslides triggered by rains, hampered the plying of vehicles. Most of the motorists had to spend the night in vehicles.
Incessant monsoon rainfall in the region over the past two days triggered massive landslides that blocked the Mandi and Pandoh highways.
“Work is on to reopen the road and it is likely to be reopened by evening,” an official told IANS.
The highway has been blocked since Sunday evening. As a result, long queues of tourist vehicles were witnessed.
Due to the blockade, scores of domestic tourists were stranded at hotels in Manali and Kullu areas — considered the gateway to the Keylong-Leh segment.
The picturesque Kullu and Manali Valleys are frequently visited by tourists.
A meteorological department official here said the state witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.
Nearly 100 metres of the national highway was badly damaged in the landslide that occurred near Pandoh in Mandi district. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the affected area.
A day earlier, the traffic on the highway was hampered near Aut owing to swollen river that inundated the highway.
The police have stopped vehicular traffic beyond Mandi toward Kullu and from Kullu towards Mandi.
Official sources said the supply of milk, bread, newspaper and other household items was impacted by the closure of the highway, the lifeline of Kullu-Manali segment.
The alternate road link between Mandi and Kullu via Kataula has been hampered by the massive landslide near Kamad since Sunday night, official sources said.
The district administrations of Mandi and Kullu districts have advised visitors to suspend their journey on the Mandi-Kullu route until the restoration of highway. It is expected that the highway will be restored by this evening.
In the state, two people drowned over the past 48 hours while several vehicles and houses were damaged as the monsoon rains intensified.
Mandi district is the worst affected that saw flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts.
IANS
