Himachal Pradesh: Atal tunnel road jammed due to the rush of tourists to witness snowfall. see photos

According to Surendra Paul, Head of India Meteorological Department, Himachal Pradesh, the hilly areas of the state including Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Kullu have received snowfall and the temperature is likely to drop further in the coming days.

Talking about the weather forecast in the coming days, the IMD chief said that the temperature is expected to drop further with the onset of northwesterly winds.

“The temperature has already dropped to -3.4 degree Celsius in areas like Lahaul Spiti, Kinaul. The temperature is expected to drop further. The north westerly winds that followed the snowfall will lead to colder weather and further drop in temperature. , ” They said.

Meanwhile, a Chandigarh tourist who came to Shimla to witness snowfall said, “I just want to snow today. The weather is cold but we are enjoying. We are expecting snowfall today.”

Another tourist who hails from Haryana said, “We mainly came to see the snowfall and we want that before leaving, even at the last minute. It was a great experience.”

The South Portal (SP) of the Atal Tunnel is located at an altitude of 3,060 meters at a distance of 25 km from Manali, while the North Portal (NP) of the tunnel is located at an altitude of 3,060 meters near Sissu village Teling in the Lahaul Valley. of 3,071 meters.

The 9.02 km long tunnel, the longest highway tunnel in the world, connects Manali with the Lahaul-Spiti Valley throughout the year.

The horseshoe shaped, single tube double lane tunnel is designed with a road of 8 m with a traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with a maximum speed of 80 km/h. It has state-of-the-art electromechanical system with semi transverse ventilation system.

Earlier, the valley was cut off for about six months every year due to heavy snowfall.

The tunnel reduces the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometers and time by about four to five hours.