Priyanka visits flood-hit Himachal districts to review relief, restoration

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited flood-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh, reviewing relief efforts and speaking to locals about apple production and prices. The state has suffered losses of ₹8,600 crore ($1.2 billion) due to heavy rain this monsoon.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited flood-affected areas of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday to review the relief, rehabilitation and restoration efforts.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu interacting with residents and reviewing the restoration works undertaken by the state government after the recent floods in Kullu, on Tuesday. (Aqil Khan/HT)

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh received Priyanka at the Chandigarh airport from where they flew to Bhuntar airport in Kullu. Priyanka stopped to receive flowers from women at the Bhuntar airport and later spoke to Congress workers and local growers about apple production, transportation and rates of boxes. The Congress leader had recently alleged that apple boxes in Himachal Pradesh are being sold at one-third rates after the Adani Group released the procurement price, and asked why the Prime Minister is not doing anything for them.

After meeting families displaced by the floods in July in Kullu and Manali, Priyanka heads for Pandoh and Mandi, the epicentre of cloudbursts and floods in July and August, before going to Shamli in Solan district, where houses have been damaged due to land subsidence.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reviewing the damage to a stretch of road near Kullu on Tuesday. (Aqil Khan/HT)

Besides Mandi MP Pratibha Singh, state public works department minister Vikramaditya Singh accompanied Priyanka on the tour.

Chakki Mor near Solan on the Shimla-Chandigarh national highway will remain closed for maintenance, said an official statement on Tuesday. Chakki Mor will remain closed from 11am to 1am.

This monsoon, Himachal Pradesh has suffered unprecedented losses due to heavy rain. So far, the losses have been pegged at ₹8,600 crore, which chief minister Sukhu said could go up to ₹12,000 crore. As many as 426 people have lost their lives in the recent rain-related incidents, while 39 are still missing. More than 2,575 houses have been fully damaged and 11,000 partially.