Shimla/Manali: An avalanche near Tindi village in Lahaul-Spiti buried a shop on Thursday even as higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh received more snowfall and widespread rain, accompanied by hailstorm, lashed other parts of the state, Punjab and Haryana. However, there was no loss of life, as there was nobody at the shop when avalanche hit the area.Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority again issued a travel advisory after an avalanche warning in the high hills by the Manali-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (Sase). According to Sase, there was an avalanche threat in Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla, Kinnaur and Kullu districts till Friday.The Lahaul-Spiti administration has sounded a high alert in the district following avalanches and heaviest snowfall of the season that threw life out of gear as most villages got covered with over 75cm thick layer of snow on Thursday. It also announced a school holiday on Friday. Lahaul-Spiti deputy commissioner Ashwani Kumar Chawdhary told TOI over phone, “There has been no break in snowfall since Wednesday. Many places have no electricity supply.”There were unconfirmed reports of avalanches from many other parts of Lahaul, where snow has already blocked all highways and link roads. With snow weighing heavy on roofs, residents have been forced to venture out and remove it to avoid cave-in. However, their efforts are undone as more snow keeps coming down. The same is the case with road clearing operations being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) — roads cleared are getting blocked with more snowfall.Keylong received over 75cm of snow till Thursday evening, Sissu nearly 90cm and Udaipur nearly 60cm of snow. However, Manali received just 5cm of snow. “Weather is expected to remain inclement in next few days. People, especially tourists, are asked not to go to higher regions,” Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus.In Shimla, heavy rain with hailstorm made driving difficult as most roads get blocked with landslips or falling trees. The district administration allowed light vehicles on the Kufri-Fagu stretch but advised tourists against venturing out. Officials said eight machines, including JCBs and bulldozers, were stationed on the Shimla-Theog road to clear it in case of blockade. The Shimla-Chopal road and Shimla-Rohru road via Kharapathar are also blocked. The main road from Shimla to Rampur is open but the national highway from Narkanda to Kumarsain has been closed to traffic and seven machines deployed at different locations.Power supply has been disrupted in several parts of Shimla town due to a fault in Jatogh-Bharari 33KV main line near Tutu. Major affected areas are Sanjauli, Lakkar Bazaar, Jakhu, Mall, Idgah, Annadale and Lower Kaithu. Officials said that electricity in Nerwa and Chopal has been disrupted while it has been restored in Kupvi. The HPSEB is working on a war footing to restore the power supply. However, the pace of work is being hampered by the continuous rain and storm.

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