Excelsior Correspondent
BHADARWAH, Jan 19: Hundreds of tourists rushed to Guldanda snow meadow, also known as winter wonderland, located on Bhadarwah-Pathankot highway after the district administration allowed the vehicular traffic today.
The highway which passes through Guldanda and Chattargalla pass was closed for traffic after Thursday snowfall which turned into ice, due to sub zero temperature.
DC Doda, Harvinder Singh who led hundreds of tourist vehicles to the snow wonderland said he was delighted to see that immediately after reopening of the road today, 2000 visitors converged here within 2 hours which is an encouraging sign for the tourism industry here.
He lauded the role of BRO for deploying hi-tech machinery for snow clearance on Bhadarwah-Pathankot highway which passes through tourist hot spot Guldanda and Chattargalla Pass.
Singh also said that although BRO has deployed latest snow clearing machines to clear the snow, but despite all efforts, a layer of snow remains on the surface of the road which results in slippery conditions as temperature drops to -15 in some stretches of the highway.
DC Doda informed that for safety of the tourists, the road was closed for three days and after sprinkling salt and urea over it, today, the district administration allowed all kind of vehicles upto Guldanda.
It is pertinent to mention here that Guldanda has become a popular destination for visitors from across the country.
Tourists and local vendors expressed their gratitude to the authorities especially BRO and district administration Doda for completely opening the road after heavy snowfall on Thursday.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
