BRO has managed to clear the Rohtang Pass of snow and restored connectivity between Manali and Lahaul Valley. Now light vehicles belonging to locals can cross Rohtang Pass and travel between Manali, Keylong and other parts of Lahaul Valley.
Archive photo of Manali – Rohtang Road
Initially, the road will be one way, with traffic from Manali being allowed on one day and traffic from Lahaul being allowed to ply the next day. Once the road is wide enough, vehicles from both sides will be allowed to ply everyday.
Tourists will have to wait longer to reach Rohtang or Lahaul Valley since only locals will be allowed to cross it initially.
Last year the Manali Administration had taken its sweet time in opening the pass for tourists. Hopefully this year, the pass will reopen for tourists soon.
BRO is also working to clear the snow between Darcha and Sarchu, with the target of clearing the snow till Baralacha La by end of this month. If that happens, then the Manali – Leh Highway will reopen for vehicular traffic in the first or second week of May.
Worryingly though, clearing of passes this early shows how less snow there is at high altitude passes and it means summers will be quite harsh, both in hills and plains.
No Responses Yet