Ailing man on stretcher, villagers trek 10km in snow

Kullu: Bone-chilling cold and closed roads did not deter villagers in Seraj area of Himachal's Mandi district to carry an ailing man on a makeshift stretcher through 2-feet of snow for 10km so that he could receive medical treatment.

Over two dozen villagers of Chhalai village in Ghat Gram panchayat in Balichowki subdivision took the step when the condition of their fellow villager, Shiv Lal, worsened on Thursday. "Shiv Lal was not well for two days. As all the link roads were still to be reopened, we had no other option but to walk," said Farmesh Rajput, a villager. Using wooden planks and cloth, they built a makeshift palanquin and carried him for nearly 4-5 hours till Garagushaini, around 10 km from Chhalai.

From there, they hired a cab to a govt hospital in Banjar, where doctors referred him to the Regional Hospital in Kullu. According to district officials, work on reopening link roads in the higher reaches of the district is ongoing, with connectivity expected to be restored in two-three days. On Feb 2, villagers of Yangla village in Gondhla panchayat carried a female patient through snow for nearly 2 km to reach the road.

The villagers took her to a health centre in Gondhla, from where she was referred to the Regional Hospital in Kullu. Majority of roads in the higher reaches of Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Kinnaur remain blocked due to recent spells of heavy snowfall. Lahaul-Spiti is the hardest hit, with 242 roads blocked - 138 in the Spiti subdivision and 104 in Lahaul.