Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) : Rain is wreaking havoc in Himachal Pradesh. In the last two days, 17 people have died in the state and 32 houses have been damaged. About 825 roads are closed due to landslides, while 795 water projects have been damaged. Government property worth Rs 785 crore has been damaged in the state so far, as per official estimates.
On the other hand, for relief and rescue work after heavy rains, the government has also canceled the holidays of field officers and employees. The blocked highways include Mandi-Kullu National Highway-21, Gramphu-Lokar NH-505 in Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu-Manali NH-3 and Aut-Jalodi NH-305, NH-707 near Shillai Road in Sirmaur and Tandi-Kadhunala state highway. 795 water supply schemes are obstructed. From June 24 to July 9, about 29 landslides, one cloudburst and 24 floods have been reported in the state.
17 lives lost in two days
There is heavy loss of life and property in the state. In the last two days, 17 people have died. One hotel and 11 houses were completely damaged, while 20 houses were partially damaged. Nearly 120 animals have also died. During this, there have been 20 incidents of landslides, 17 of floods, 2 of fire and 20 of water-logging in the state. With this, 72 people have died in the state so far. 236 houses have also been damaged in the rain while 191 cattle sheds have been destroyed. About 366 animals have died in the rains so far.
PM Narendra Modi talked to Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu over the phone and inquired about the damage caused by the rains. He assured Himachal of all possible help. CM Sukhwinder Singh stressed on the need to declare this loss as a national calamity on the phone with the PM. He also demanded a special economic package for Himachal. CM Sukhwinder Singh also talked to Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the damage caused by the rains.
Transport services including water and electricity have been severely disrupted. Nearly 4,883 drinking water schemes have been affected. Because of this, there has been a shortage of drinking water in many areas. Due to the closure of roads, more than one thousand bus routes have been suspended. Jal Shakti Department alone has suffered a loss of more than Rs 350 crore.
Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri has appealed to the Center for generous financial assistance. He said that 1007 routes of Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses have been suspended due to heavy rains. About 452 buses running in and out of Himachal Pradesh are stuck at various places due to rain. Using the powers of the Disaster Management Act, the Himachal government has directed all the officers and employees who have gone on leave to return to duty immediately.
The state government has asked the people of the state, especially those whose houses are near rivers, to move to safer places. Along with this, people have been advised not to leave the house in areas prone to landslides. Heavy rains have broken power lines and poles in the state. Due to which electricity has failed in many areas. Due to this, people in these areas have to live without electricity. The electricity department has suffered a loss of about one crore. Apart from this, a loss of about Rs 70 crores has been estimated for horticulture while a loss of about Rs 41 lakhs has been estimated to the Urban Development Department.
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) spokesperson said that the loss of life and property due to heavy rains in the state is constantly being reviewed and CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is constantly keeping an eye. So far, an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2.84 crore has been provided to the people for damage caused by the rains.
