Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, May 1

The traders from within and outside the state, who had set up temporary stalls at the trade fair as part of the Pipal Jatra here, are worried due to low business. The roofs of more than 10 stalls were blown away by the storm today. The goods kept in many stalls went flying in the air and the tarpaulins on some stalls were torn apart. Rain had played spoilsport on Monday as very few residents turned up to make purchases. The Kullu Municipal Council (MC) had increased the price of the stalls this year and traders feared incurring losses under these circumstances.

Traders had to face problems due to dust and strong winds. Business had been slow in the temporary market for the last three days. The weather was clear in the morning today and traders were hopeful that business would improve. However, the weather deteriorated in the afternoon and there was a storm accompanied by light drizzle. Temporary shops will be allowed to sell their wares till May 12.

The Meteorological Department has predicted clear weather in the entire state tomorrow. A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to become active from the night of May 3 due to which rain is expected in many parts on May 4 and 5. Even on May 6 and 7, the weather may remain inclement in some high mountain areas. This has increased the worries of traders.

Traders Harish Kumar, Raj Kumar and Sunil Thakur, who have set up temporary shops in the Dhalpur grounds, said that their business had been adversely affected due to rains and storms. The only fortunate part was that there were no people in the ground when the roofs of the shops were blown away due to the strong winds, otherwise an accident could have occurred, they said.

Even in the month of May, the higher reaches of the valley are experiencing snowfall and lower reaches are being dashed by rains. Fresh snowfall was witnessed near the Atal Tunnel today. The entire valley is in the grip of cold wave due to the snowfall.