Heavy snowfall has impeded daily life across many parts of northern India. In Indian-administered Kashmir, a thick blanket of snow covered most of the region, snapping power supplies and causing delays in road, rail and air travel. The famous Dal Lake in the main city of Srinagar has been partially frozen with snow covering the famed shikara or houseboats. The weather also derailed the travel plans of several Congress party leaders, who were in the region as part of their 4,000km (2,485-mile)-long "unity march" across India, which ended in Kashmir on Monday. On Tuesday, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had tweeted that several MPs would not be able to attend the budget session in parliament after all flights from Srinagar had to be canceled due to inclement weather. In the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, authorities shut some key highways and roads after incessant snowfall threw normal life out of gear. A similar situation prevailed in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand, where traffic on key national highways was disrupted for hours on Tuesday after snow accumulated on the roads. The weather department has predicted that conditions may improve from Wednesday morning. — BBC
