Himachal's Dhauladhar mountains now visible from Jalandhar

Residents of Punjab's Jalandhar are now able to view the mighty Dhauladhar mountain range located several kilometers away in Himachal Pradesh as the city's air quality has improved due to the ongoing country-wide lockdown.

The moment people saw the majestic hills from their rooftops in Jalandhar, social media was flooded with photos and videos of the snow-covered peaks.

Jalandhar is around 160 km away from the location of the majestic mountains near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.

Amardeep Singh, a Jalandhar resident said, For a moment, I could not believe myself! My joy knew no bounds, I hurriedly clicked the photographs and shared it with my friends. Instantly, entire social media was flooded with photos of Dhauladhar Range. From selfies to videos, we enjoyed every moment watching the grand mountains.

The elderly in the city pointed out that they have felt a remarkable change in the air quality after the lockdown was imposed.

Even the birds, especially sparrows, which were till now missing from our surroundings are visible these days, said an elderly couple Baldev Atwal and Karamjit Atwal.

Vipin Pal, a farmer, said the hills were clearly visible and many of his relatives living abroad could not believe the pictures being circulated on social media.

Such was the excitement that even my cousins in Canada and Australia also called up to ensure if the photographs on social media were real or fake. However, when I showed them the hills from terrace through video call, they were excited, Pal said.

Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Superintending Engineer (SE) Sandeep Bahal said the ranges could be seen from Jalandhar because of the improved Air Quality Index.

The air quality index of various cities, including Ludhiana, has improved. People should understand that clean environment and clear sky has given them good quality life within 10 days. It is our appeal to every industrialist, shopkeeper and layman to protect environment and enjoy nature, Bahal emphasised.