Rohtang Pass restored to traffic

Tribune News Service

Mandi, May 19

The BRO today reopened the 13,050 feet Rohtang Pass, gateway to Lahaul on the Manali-Leh highway, giving a sigh of relief to residents of the tribal district of Lahaul Spiti. The tribals had been cut off from the rest of the state since December.

The Pass receives heavy snowfall during winter, which cut off Lahaul Spiti residents from the rest of the state for several months. On Sunday, the residents were allowed to move towards Lahaul Spiti from Kullu-Manali on this route. The BRO starts snow clearance operation from Manali and Lahaul sides towards the Rohtang Pass every year in the month of March to restore vehicular traffic.

The picturesque Rohtang Pass is a favourite tourist destination in Himachal Pradesh, specially in the end of June. For now, the tourist are allowed to go up to Marhi.

“With the relentless efforts of BRO team, we have finally succeeded in restoring the Pass. There were a lot of challenges like snow avalanche threat, landslides and bad weather conditions in the region,” a BRO official said talking to The Tribune. — TNS