The entire district witnessed very heavy snowfall during the past two weeks. While DC Shimla today claimed that NH 22 was cleared of snow at Kufri and Narkanda and Theog-Kotkhai and Theog- Chopal has been restored, life remained miserable in the interior villages as link roads were still laden with massive snow.

It has been no better on roads which were cleared. The drive is extremely dangerous as no mud has been put on the highway leading to skidding of vehicles resulting in serious accidents.

Two weeks of heavy snowfall has taken a toll on LPG availability and absence of health services in these areas. Reports of massive shortage of LPG has been reported from the district. With link roads closed people in the area are finding it extremely difficult to reach medical centers for treatment.

In many of the villages electricity supply has not been restored. These villages are facing black out as power supply got disrupted due to uprooting of electricity poles. Many areas are also facing shortage of water supply as water supply scheme pipes have frozen being buried in the snow.

While people in the high hills are left on their own, no minister or functionary has bothered visiting the area to take stock of situation. The step motherly treatment of the BJP government to Shimla district continues as Chief Minister Dhumal shifted his ‘darbar’ to lower areas during this period. There is hardly any minister in Shimla these days who could take stock of the situation.

It seems the only department working during such difficult times is the Himachal PR department dishing out tall claims from the state Secretariat in Shimla. Rest everyone has left the people on nature’s mercy. All this is happening when people of the district handed the entire district on platter to BJP in last elections.

While Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal remained busy with inaugurations and stone laying ceremony in his home district, life continues to be miserable for people in snow affected areas of Shimla district.

Director of MeT office, Manmohan Singh said, ”Heavy to very heavy snowfall is likely to occur at isolated places in the higher hills. Heavy rainfall is likely in mid-hills and hailstorms in lower hills during the next 48 hours.” Singh said the western disturbance as an upper air system with its centre over North Pakistan and East Afghanistan will affect the state from Saturday evening onward.

The weather office’s prediction comes at a time when the normalcy is yet to be restored in the hill state after last week snowfall. Snow is yet to be cleared on Shimla roads. The Mall and Ridge have turned into ice rink and scores of people have been injured due to fall on hard ice. The Municipal Corporation and PWD department has turned a blind eye to the plight of residents and tourists in the town.

Traffic has been restored on NH22 but scores of link roads are yet to be cleared. On Friday 15 people were killed near Chopal in Shimla district as a state transport bus met with an accident on snow covered road.

Cold wave prevailed in the state as icy winds continued to sweep the region. Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was coldest in the region at minus 12.7 Celsius followed by Kalpa at minus 6 C, Manali minus 4.2 C, Solan minus 0.2 C, Dharamsala and Shimla recorded 3.1 C. The high altitude tribal areas reeled under biting cold wave with the minimum temperatures ranging between minus 17 and minus 28 deg C. As per reports lakes and rivulets were frozen in higher altitude areas of the state.

Shimla ((July 27): Bowing to the popular sentiment the Himachal Pradesh government today decided to acquire controversial Bantony Castle, an 111-year-old private property located in the heritage zone of Shimla town believed to be worth hundreds of crores.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal directed the Urban Development Department to initiate the process for acquiring the property located near the Central Telegraph Office here. The possession of Bantony Castle, which housed the offices of the state DGP and the DIG, was handed over to its owners recently.

But a controversy erupted as the number of owners of the joint property multiplied during a legal battle with the government for vacating the building. Media reports said a UK-based promoter had sought permission under the Tenancy and Land Reforms Act to purchase the land for developing a tourist resort.

The government’s move was apparently aimed at setting to rest all speculation that some influential persons might facilitate the sale of the prime land and get rules changed for construction in the heritage zone.

Media reports had earlier indicated involvement of an influential BJP leader based in Delhi in the deal which was on the anvil.