Gangtok (Sikkim) [India], October 31 (ANI): Fresh snowfall blanketed the higher reaches of the Indo-China border, including the Nathula Pass area, on Friday, bringing temperatures down sharply across Sikkim. The mercury dipped to sub-zero levels in several high-altitude regions, disrupting movement along key mountain routes.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy to very heavy snowfall was recorded in and around Nathula, Kupup, and Tsomgo (Changu) Lake since early morning. The IMD has issued a red alert for Sikkim, warning of continued severe weather conditions over the next 24 hours.

Local authorities have advised tourists and transport operators to avoid travel to higher elevations as roads have become slippery due to snow accumulation. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams are working continuously to clear the snow and ensure essential connectivity.

Residents have been urged to take necessary precautions, while the state government has placed disaster response teams on standby.

Officials said temperatures in the Nathula region could drop further overnight, marking one of the season's earliest and heaviest snowfalls.

Meanwhile, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 8.3 lakh to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim under the Access and Benefit Sharing framework, as outlined in the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change stated on Saturday.

The funds were transferred directly to two BMCs: the Narrau village Biodiversity Management Committee in Akrabad Kaul Taluk, Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh, and the Biodiversity Management Committee in the Lampokhari Lake Area, Aritar, Sikkim, through the respective State Biodiversity Boards.

According to the Ministry, a company accessed crop materials within the Narrau village for producing fermentable compounds from lignocellulosic biomass, while another company accessed microorganisms from water and soil samples collected in the Lampokhari Lake area for research purposes.

By channelling these funds, the NBA is empowering local custodians to play a leading role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management.

Earlier, the NBA had released Rs 1.36 crore to support grassroots biodiversity conservation in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)