Himachal rains wreak havoc, killing 20 people, damaging infrastructure; PM Modi spoke to CM Sukhu

Shimla: Incessant rains for the past three days have wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides, power outages, blocking roads, damaging bridges with rivers in spate in the state, which is one of nature’s worst. Reflects the outbreak, which has claimed 20 lives in the last 48 hours. Tourists are stranded in parts of the hill state and damage to infrastructure is estimated to be between Rs 3,000 crore and Rs 3,000 crore as per preliminary official estimates. 4000 crores.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that the state has not seen such heavy rains in the last 50 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Chief Minister regarding the damage caused due to heavy rains in the State and assured full support to the State Government to get out of the crisis.

The chief minister urged the Center to declare the situation in the state as a “national calamity”, saying the recovery process was expected to take a long time. Kullu is one of the worst-affected districts in Himachal Pradesh, with a truck being swept away by the raging Beas river in the district.

The Panchvaktra temple in Mandi has been submerged in the waters of the Beas river. Former chief minister and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur said houses were washed away and at least 12 major bridges were damaged or washed away due to the floods.

Himachal Pradesh has been “worst affected” due to incessant rains, which have had an impact on many other parts of the country as well. Sukhu, who is monitoring the situation, held a review meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) through video conference from Nadaun and gave necessary directions to the officials.

He said that the fury of nature has caused extensive damage to roads, power transformers, power sub-stations and several water supply schemes and thrown normal life out of gear in various parts of the State. A hydroelectric project has also been affected.

He directed all the Deputy Commissioners to be vigilant for the next 10 days and provide all possible help to the affected persons. Expressing grief over the loss of life and property due to landslides and floods, the Chief Minister assured that the State Government was making all possible efforts to deal with the situation efficiently.

He said that prompt rescue operations were launched in the affected areas and many precious lives were saved by timely action.

He asked the district authorities to involve representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and local residents for relief and rescue operations and directed immediate restoration of power and water supply in the affected areas so that people do not face many inconveniences. He also directed the construction of Bailey Bridges in place of the damaged bridges for the convenience of the stranded people.

Sukhu said efforts are on to evacuate around 300 stranded tourists and residents of Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts using helicopters when the weather is favourable. Apart from preparing a state-wise list of stranded tourists, he directed to make adequate arrangements for accommodation, food and essential commodities for the stranded people.

He said that due to the torrential rains in the last few days, there has been a huge loss in the state and there has been a lot of damage to life and property. Sukhu said that the state government would ensure that adequate funds are made available to help the affected people. He said that he would soon visit the affected areas and take stock of the situation.

With the apple season round the corner, the Chief Minister stressed on restoration of roads in the apple growing areas at the earliest so as to ensure smooth transportation of apple crops to avoid loss to apple growers.

He asked to keep Parwanoo-Rohru, Theog to Rampur, Chhaila to Kumarhatti roads and other apple belt roads open and deploy additional personnel and machinery to clear debris to ensure smooth transportation of apple-laden vehicles.

He allocated Rs 4 crore for immediate improvement of roads in these areas. The Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra has been put on hold for the rest of the season due to six deaths reported during the pilgrimage. In a conversation with the Chief Minister, PM Modi inquired about the loss of life and property due to heavy rains and floods in Himachal Pradesh.

The Chief Minister informed them that the State has been badly affected by floods and heavy rains, which have caused extensive damage, and apprised them of the situation and sought generous assistance from the Central Government to deal with this natural calamity. Sukhu told PM Modi that the state government is closely monitoring the situation.

He said that the State Government was actively engaged in providing assistance to the people affected by the floods. Essential supplies are being provided to the stranded persons and efforts are on to airlift them once the weather conditions improve. Sukhu expressed his appreciation for the deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to assist in the rescue operations.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh would require adequate assistance from the Central Government to recover from the extensive damage caused by the calamity. He appealed to the Prime Minister for a special economic package to aid the state’s recovery process.

Responding to the chief minister’s concerns, the prime minister assured him of the unwavering support of the central government, promising all possible assistance to come out of this crisis, a state government release said. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Jagat Prakash Nadda also spoke to the chief minister over phone and took stock of the damage and inquired about the relief and rescue operations in the state.

In a span of 24 hours, Himachal Pradesh recorded 92 mm of rain, officials said. He said that Himachal Pradesh normally receives 168.9 mm of rainfall between June 1 and July 10, but this time it has recorded 360.2 mm, which is 113 per cent more than the normal.

Between July 1 and July 10, the state received 239.3 mm of rainfall, which is 253 per cent more than normal. According to the data received from the Meteorological Department, the normal rainfall should have been 68.7 mm. According to the figures of the Disaster Management Authority, 20 people have died in Himachal and more than 1300 roads are closed.

Sukhu on Monday morning appealed to people to stay indoors for the next 24 hours and announced helpline numbers to assist those in need. ,

He said, “I again request the people of Himachal to please stay inside their houses for the next 24 hours as heavy rain is expected in the next 24 hours.” 1077 has been arranged…you can call on these numbers in case of any emergency and I will also be available 24 hours.”

CM Sukhu also requested all the MLAs to stay in their constituencies and help the needy people. Water supply has also been affected in many areas.

Jairam Thakur visited Mandi to review the situation as the district has been ravaged by flash floods and landslides following incessant rains in the state. Jairam Thakur said, “We have never seen such a situation in the last many years and we are very worried after seeing the situation in the state. Many small and big rivers of the state are witnessing a rise in water level.” (ANI)