Tourist rush at Guldanda in Bhaderwah after road reopens
Bhaderwah Jan 19: Hundreds of tourists rushed to Guldanda snow meadow also known as winter wonderland located on Bhaderwah-Pathankot highway after district administration allowed movement of vehicles on the highway on Sunday.
The interstate highway which passes through Guldanda and Chattargalla pass located at a height of 9555 and 11000 ft above sea level respectively was closed for traffic after Thursday snowfall which converted into ice after sub zero temperature.
Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh who led the hundreds of tourist vehicles the snow wonderland said that it is delight to see that immidiately after opening of the road today, 2000 visitors converged here within two hours which is an encouraging sign for the tourism industry here.
"Kudos to BRO who deployed hi-tech machinery for snow clearance on Bhaderwah-Pathankot highway which passes through tourist hot spot Guldanda and Chattergalla Paas located at a height of 9555 and 11000 ft above sea level simultaneously,” he said.
DC added that although BRO has deployed latest snow clearing machines to clear the snow but despite all the 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. “For safety of the tourists the road was closed for 3 days and after sprinkling salt and urea, today we allowed all kinds of vehicles upto Guldanada," DC Doda added.
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 Distric administration for completely opening the road after heavy snowfall on Thursday.