Shimla: Normal life in Himachal Pradesh continues to limp back on track nearly a week after heavy snowfall battered large parts of the state, snapping road links and disrupting power and water supply, especially in the higher reaches.
According to the latest status report issued by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) on Thursday evening, a total of 482 roads, including three National Highways, remain blocked across the state.
While the situation has marginally improved since morning—when 553 roads were closed—restoration work is still underway amid difficult terrain and lingering snow at several passes .
The worst-hit districts include Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Chamba, Mandi and Shimla. Lahaul-Spiti alone accounts for 273 blocked roads, with strategic highways such as NH-3 (Rohtang–ATR North Portal) and NH-505 (Gramphu–Batal) remaining completely closed.
In Kullu district, 57 roads are still blocked, while Shimla district has 40 road closures, affecting rural connectivity in Chopal, Rohru, Kotkhai and Dodra-Kawar belts .
Power supply has also taken a major hit. As per SEOC data, 436 distribution transformers (DTRs) are currently disrupted across Himachal. Shimla district alone has 116 DTRs out of service, followed by Kullu (187) and Chamba (50). Snow accumulation on lines and faults in main HT lines have been cited as the primary reasons for the outages .
Drinking water supply remains partially affected, with 62 water supply schemes still disrupted. Shimla district tops the list with 50 schemes affected, mainly in Chopal, Kupvi and Rampur subdivisions, while Chamba has 10 disrupted schemes.
Officials said frozen pipelines and damaged intake structures are slowing restoration efforts in high-altitude villages .
State authorities say men and machinery of the PWD, power and Jal Shakti departments are on the ground, but clearance is progressing slowly in snowbound areas due to fresh accumulation and sub-zero temperatures. Residents in tribal and upper Shimla regions continue to face hardships, with limited mobility and intermittent utilities.
The administration has appealed to people to avoid unnecessary travel, especially towards high passes, and assured that priority is being given to restoring essential services and road access to remote habitations at the earliest.
