Storm uproots trees in Dharamshala; disrupts traffic, power supply

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): Amid heavy rain and a hailstorm alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), strong winds struck Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, uprooting trees in Dharamshala and nearby areas. Several regions also faced power outages as trees fell on power lines.
An official at Dharamshala's Electricity Department said that the damage assessment is underway and that the power supply will resume shortly.
"Trees are being removed from the power lines, and the supply restoration is underway. Power supply will be back within one to two hours," he added.
In the state capital, Shimla, several uprooted trees led to road blockages, and locals are facing difficulty. One of the worst-hit areas was the local road connecting Richmond and Jakhoo, which became completely inaccessible.

The Forest Department swiftly responded by deploying separate teams of labourers to various affected spots to clear the debris.
"We began work early in the morning, and we are now clearing roads near the US Club and Richmond. Last night's storm hit around 11:50 PM and brought down trees in multiple areas," a labourer, Mohammad Usuf, said.
Rain and thunderstorms also lashed parts of Punjab's Amritsar. Gusty winds were witnessed in Punjab's Mohali. The IMD said a partly cloudy sky with intermittent rain or thundershowers is expected in Amritsar, while Shimla is likely to see cloudy conditions as well.
Earlier, the IMD had predicted rainfall in various parts of Himachal Pradesh between April 18 and April 21 due to an incoming strong Western Disturbance. According to the IMD, a strong western disturbance is expected to impact the state, resulting in light to moderate rainfall in most regions and heavy rainfall in higher altitudes.
Speaking to ANI, Shobhit Katiyar, Senior Scientist at the IMD's Himachal Pradesh Centre in Shimla, said that the weather will change after two days with the approaching fresh Western disturbance on April 18.
"In the next 48 hours, the weather will remain mostly clear across the state. However, a very active western disturbance is expected to influence Himachal Pradesh from the afternoon of April 18 until the morning of April 21. Due to this system, we are likely to see intermittent rainfall across many parts of the state," said Katiyar.
He added that light rain may occur today in Chamba and Kangra districts, but the main spell of rainfall will begin from April 18. (ANI)