835 roads closed in Himachal, Met predicts more heavy snowfall on Monday
Shimla (PTI): As many as 835 roads, including three national highways, remained closed for traffic movement in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, as a result of heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, the meteorological department has predicted that a fresh western disturbance is likely to cause heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of the state from Monday.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, about 282 roads, including NH 3 (Leh-Manali) and NH 505 (Kaza-Gramphu), are blocked in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti.
As many as 234 roads are closed in Shimla; 110 in Mandi; 78 in Chamba; 65, including NH 305 (Sainj-Luhri-Aut) in Kullu; 41 in Sirmour; 18 in Kinnaur; four in Kangra, and three in Una.
Additionally, around 1,942 transformers were disrupted across the state, which include 789 in Shimla district, 354 in Sirmour, 284 in Mandi, 277 in Chamba, 174 in Kullu, 27 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 23 in Solan, leaving thousands of households without electricity.
Light snowfall and rain were observed at isolated places in the higher reaches on Sunday, while weather in most parts of the state was dry.
Cold wave conditions were observed in Manali, Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur. The lowest temperature, 10 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Tabo village in the Lahaul and Spiti district.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has predicted another spell of heavy snowfall in the higher reaches from Monday onwards, due to a fresh western disturbance.
It has issued a yellow warning for the entire state for Monday, predicting thunderstorms and lightning, along with gusty winds, at isolated places.
The weather department has issued an orange alert for Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti districts on Tuesday, forecasting heavy snowfall and rains. For the remaining nine districts, it has issued a yellow alert, predicting a cold day with thunderstorms and lightning.
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Class 12 final exams of Odisha board begin amid tight security
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The class 12 final examinations of the Odisha board began on Wednesday amid heavy security, officials said.
A total of 4.01 lakh students are appearing for the exams being conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha, across 1,364 centres, they said.
The exams began with Science papers, while those for the Arts and Commerce streams will start on Friday. The exam will continue till March 28, they added.
A total of 2.56 lakh students are enrolled in the Arts stream, 1.14 lakh in Science, and 24,621 in Commerce, CHSE's Controller of Examinations Prasanta Kumar Parida said.
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There are also 5,932 students of vocational studies, he said.
The exam began at 10 am and will end at 1 pm, he added
Parida said live streaming of all examination centres has been made available, while 211 question paper hubs are being monitored with "AI technology".
Special squads have been deployed to conduct surprise inspections to check any malpractices, he added.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi extended greetings to all the students appearing for the examination.
"The examination is a beautiful reflection of your knowledge and hard work. There is no need to put any fear or stress in your mind for it. Remember, your performance will be of high quality only if you appear for the examination not under pressure, but with patience," he posted on X.
The practical examinations were conducted between January 2 and 15.
