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One-way traffic restored on Himachal’s Mandi-Kullu national highway, 196 roads still blocked
The Mandi-Kullu stretch of the national highway had been blocked since Saturday evening, leaving many vehicles and travellers stranded
One-way vehicular movement on Mandi-Kullu National Highway was restored on Sunday evening, 24 hours after a landslide near the 4-mile mark blocked the passage.
The Mandi-Kullu stretch of the national highway had been blocked since Saturday evening, leaving many vehicles and travellers stranded. The traffic restoration work began early Sunday morning. However, continuous rock-fall from the hillside hampered the clearance of debris and delayed the work.
The blockade left numerous passengers stranded overnight. The highway was among 152 roads that remained blocked in Mandi on Sunday, including 145 rural roads. Even after the restoration of traffic movement, the risk of rock-fall still remains. Officials said that police personnel have been deployed at the spot.
According to the state emergency operation centre, as many as 196 roads remained blocked in the state on Sunday. Moreover, 787 water supply schemes also remained disrupted.
Orange alert in three districts
The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Shimla office has sounded an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Kangra and Sirmaur for Monday (July 14), while a yellow alert has been issued for Mandi, Shimla and Solan districts.
The weather office on Sunday said that the monsoon activity was weak over the state during the last 24 hours and light to moderate rain was observed at many places. The rainfall activity is expected to continue in the parts of the state in coming days.
According to MeT department officials, light to moderate rainfall is very likely at many places on July 14, 15, 18 and 19 and at most places on July 16 and 17. During this period, one or two spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places July 14 and one or two spells of heavy rainfall at isolated places from July 15 to 17.
For July 15, a yellow alert of heavy rainfall has been issued in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts of the state. Yellow alert will continue on July 16 in 10 districts: Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.
Three tourists among four rescued from jungle in Mandi
According to reports, the incident occurred on Saturday night when the tourists and the local resident from Dharampur set out on foot along a narrow trail after the main road was blocked. While following a group of local residents, the four strayed off the path and were soon left behind, eventually getting lost in the thick forest.
After being stranded for nearly six hours in the forest, one of the tourists managed to contact the police, seeking urgent help. Taking prompt action, a police team along with a team of the SDRF reached the spot and initiated a search operation.
Following a two-hour search, the police successfully rescued two of the tourists from a gorge, while the other two individuals were later rescued from a nearby area.
They were immediately brought back to the main road and provided with water and first aid. While the tourists were taken to a gurudwara in Mandi, the local resident was sent back to his home in a private vehicle.
PTI
