E-Paper
One more body recovered in Kullu; 892 roads still blocked in Himachal
One more body was found in Kullu after landslides buried nine people. Roads remain blocked, with ongoing restoration efforts and government support for victims.
One more body was retrieved on Sunday from the debris of the house that had collapsed in Kullu’s Akhara Bazaar on Thursday.
The deceased has been identified as 48-years-old Gulzar Ahmad Lone from Jammu and Kashmir. A total of nine people were buried under the debris after houses collapsed due to separate landslide incidents in Inner Akhara Bazaar on September 3 and 4.
Bodies of 8 people were recovered till Saturday, while the search for one person was underway. Officials on Sunday said that so far six bodies have been sent to Srinagar.
Restoration work underway
Meanwhile, road connectivity remained affected in many regions with 826 roads, including two national highways, blocked in the hill state on Sunday.
It included 225 roads in Kullu district, 191 in Mandi, 146 in Shimla and 88 in Chamba district. While 44 roads remained blocked in Kangra district, 36 and 32 roads were blocked in Sirmaur and Una districts respectively.
In Mandi district, the Mandi-Kullu stretch of Chandigarh-Manali National Highway was blocked again on Sunday due to a landslide at Dawada. Police officials said that restoration work was underway. The stretch which was blocked since August 31 was restored for traffic on Friday evening.
NH-305 and NH-03 remained blocked in Kullu district on Sunday.
CM Sukhu visits disaster-hit Sujanpur
Chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday visited disaster-affected villages in the Sujanpur constituency of Hamirpur district on Sunday and reviewed relief and rehabilitation works.
Sukhu assured the affected families of every possible support from the state government. He visited Khairi and adjoining villages to assess the flood and landslide damage and later inspected the land subsidence-affected area of Chabutra. He interacted with the displaced families and announced that the state government would provide ₹7 lakh for house construction and ₹70,000 for household items.
Local MLA Captain Ranjit Singh has also extended ₹1 lakh to each affected family, raising the total assistance to ₹8.70 lakh per family.
Sukhu said that similar assessments were underway in other parts of Hamirpur district and relief was being extended to all affected families. He said that the issue of transferring safe forest land for house construction would be taken up with the Central Government, along with the overall losses suffered by Himachal during the monsoon season.
Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 20, as many as 366 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents. This includes 203 deaths due to landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, and drowning, while 163 people have died in road accidents. More than 4,000 houses have either been partially or completely damaged so far.
Making every effort to reopen blocked roads: PWD minister
Himachal public works department (PWD) minister Vikramaditya Singh, while talking to media, said, “We are making every effort to reopen roads that are currently blocked in the state. On the Chamba-Bharmour national highway, machinery has been deployed, and junior engineers (JEs) and SDOs have been deputed at every 10 km to monitor the work.”
“It is a bitter truth that disasters have become a regular affair during monsoon season in Himachal. It causes damage to link roads and highways. Regarding this, our department is working to address some key issues for the future. One major issue is the dumping of muck during road cutting. In many cases, this muck is being dumped illegally, which has been a major contributing factor to disasters. We have taken serious note of this, and strict action will be taken whenever such illegal dumping is found,” he said.
The minister also said that at several locations, natural culverts have been blocked, disrupting the natural flow of water. “During my ground visits, I have observed this issue firsthand. We will make every possible effort to address these issues on priority,” he added.
Meanwhile, Vikramaditya, in a post on social media, on Sunday, raised concerns over the “ecological crisis” faced by the mountainous religious places in the state. “Mountainous religious sites like Manimahesh, Shrikhand Mahadev, Churdhar, and Bijli Mahadev, situated in Himachal, are going through a serious ecological crisis today. As the minister of public works and urban development, and as a Himachali, it is my deep concern that uncontrolled construction activities and growing tourism pressure on these holy places are damaging their natural structure,” he wrote.
He noted that Shrikhand Mahadev, which stands at 18,570 feet with its 75-foot natural Shivlinga, has experienced ecological disturbance due to unnecessary expansion of facilities. At Bijli Mahadev, Singh warned, cracks in the hill are widening. “The stability of the hill is under threat due to deforestation, heavy rainfall, and ropeway construction. The falling of heavy stones near the temple is clear evidence that uncontrolled development is damaging the geological structure of these sites,” he fruther wrote.
The minister suggested that the number of tourists at these sacred places should be fixed daily, based on environmental endurance. He further stressed that every visitor should take a vow to carry back their garbage.
IMD predicts rainfall till Sept 13
The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Shimla office has predicted rainfall to continue in parts of Himachal Pradesh till September 13, however, no heavy rain alert has been issued in the coming few days.
According to MeT department officials, light to moderate rainfall is likely at many places on September 8 and at a few places from September 9 to 13.
A yellow alert of thunderstorms and lightning has ben sounded in several districts of the hill-state has for September 8.
Notably, in monsoon season so far (Since June 1), Himachal has received 45% excess rainfall with 948 mm actual rainfall recorded against a normal of 652 mm. The highest excess rainfall of 116% has been received in Kullu district, followed by 112% excess rainfall recorded in Shimla district. While Bilaspur has received 78% excess rainfall, Solan and Una districts have received 75% and 72% excess showers respectively in the monsoon season so far.
PM Modi to visit Himachal on September 9
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Himachal on September 9 to assess the damage caused by recent floods, landslides, and heavy rains.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while speaking to the media in Hamirpur on Sunday, said that the Prime Minister is tentatively expected to visit Kangra, subject to weather conditions. “When he comes, we will give our presentation. We will raise the issue about the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment which the central team had estimated after the disaster in 2023. We will raise this point that when relief is to be provided, there should be no delay,” he said.
Meanwhile, former CM and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that the PM is likely to hold a high-level meeting to review the situation and discuss relief measures. “I am also going to Dharamshala to participate in the meeting. I will apprise him about the destruction caused by the monsoon in the state,” he added.
