Rain in Himachal Pradesh: The entire northern region of India is grappling with a flood-like situation due to incessant heavy rains. The hilly states- Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been worst affected as many parts of these states are facing landslides and flash floods. Social media platforms are full of horrifying videos. One such video has come from Manikaran in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh where water has flooded the premises of a famous religious place – Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib.
Meanwhile, there was no let up in the monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh on Monday as flash floods and landslides claimed 18 lives in the past two days, affecting most of the hydropower projects and destroying property worth hundreds of crores. Over 300 tourists and locals were stranded in Chandratal, Pagal Nala and other places in Lahaul and Spiti, while teams of National Disaster Response Force, police and home guards rescued 515 people from submerged slum areas at Lalsingi in Una district, officials said. laborers were saved.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said efforts were on to rescue the 300 stranded people and they could be airlifted if the weather clears. Electricity and water supply has been stopped in many areas. Chief Minister Sukhu said that the assessment of the loss is underway and it is estimated to be between Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,000. 4000 crores, according to a government statement. However, preliminary estimates by the State Emergency Operation Center put the loss at Rs 785 crore.
18 rain-related deaths have been reported since Sunday morning. Officials said around 800 roads were still closed in the state. According to transport department officials, bus services have been suspended on 1,255 routes of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) and 576 buses were stranded at various places on the route. Most hydropower projects have stopped production due to rising silt levels. The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway is blocked at several places due to landslides and floods. The Shimla-Kinnaur road is also closed for traffic due to landslides and landslides.
Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra has also been stopped in Kullu. Six pilgrims have died in this season of the yatra since its inception. The Kullu administration has also declared a two-day public holiday in the district on July 10 and 11. The state government has canceled the leaves of all field officers and asked them to report for duty immediately.
In Shimla district alone, landslides claimed four more lives on Monday. Three people were killed in a landslide on a house in Theog sub-division of Shimla on Monday morning.