Prices skyrocket in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides, manual transportation

Skyrocketing prices of commodities are attributed partly to high costs of manual transportation necessitated by floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh. Villagers in the flood-hit Kullu district are facing difficulty in transporting goods due to damaged roads and broken bridges.

Kullu (Himachal Pradesh): At a time when Himachal Pradesh is grappling with the aftermath of floods and landslides caused by torrential rains, the prices of basic commodities are rapidly increasing due to a drastic decrease in their transportation. In Kullu, one of the worst-hit districts in the state, the prices of flour, fruits, vegetables and even LPG cylinder skyrocketed as the roads were damaged and the only way to carry supplies to the hills was manually, which increases the cost of transportation.

People have to walk for several kilometres to get basic commodities. People living in remote areas of the district are now dependent on horses and mules for transporting goods, which almost doubles the price of the goods. Villagers said that they have to pay transportation charges of up to Rs 800 for a sack of rice which costs Rs 1000.

Manikarna and Sainj Vallies of the district were cut from the rest of the world following floods and landslides, which damaged the bridges and roads. The villagers here say they are running short on ration and transporting goods by horses is costing them a lot. People of more than 30 villages of about six panchayats of Sainj and Manikarna are facing this problem.

Bhagatram, head of Dehuri Dhar panchayat said, "The fruits and vegetables that grow here are ready to be sold, but due to lack of roads, we have to carry these vegetables on our back for several kilometres. This is a lot of hard work, and we do not get any profit out of it." If someone falls ill, it becomes very difficult to take the person to the nearest hospital, Bhagatram added.

Roshan Lal, a local shopkeeper in Barshaini said, "I run a small shop here and almost all the items in my shop have sold out. We are not getting anything supplied here, and I cannot afford to hire horses and mules to carry goods. The charges to supply goods through horses are very high." Hari Ram, a villager said that first floods and landslides damaged our homes, and now the rise in transportation charges is making our lives difficult.

"The villagers now demand that the government must speed up the restoration work and provide a suspension bridge for the villagers as soon as possible so that the villagers can get at least the basic goods without spending much on transportation", the head of the panchayat said.