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18 tourists from Pune district stranded in flood-ravaged Himachal Pradesh
Incessant rain, leading to flash floods and landslides, has devastated HP and several tourists remain stranded in the hill state amidst extensive damage to roads and infrastructure
PUNE: According to data shared by the Pune district administration, a total 18 tourists from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are stranded in flood-ravaged Himachal Pradesh (HP) and the district administration is in touch with the local administration to help evacuate them safely.
Incessant rain, leading to flash floods and landslides, has devastated HP and several tourists remain stranded in the hill state amidst extensive damage to roads and infrastructure. Among those stranded, around 100 tourists are from Maharashtra and 18 are from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Shrirang Takalkar, 28, who hails from Parbhani and has been working as a cinematographer, told the Hindustan Times, “Considering the flood situation in HP, many tourists are stranded here. We have been stuck here since last week. Many thanks to the locals who have helped us a lot. Rainfall activity has reduced now and the situation is returning to normal.”
Takalkar and his wife landed in HP on July 5. After July 7, the situation changed as the state witnessed heavy rainfall due to which it was difficult for Takalkar to step outside of his hotel. The couple spent their entire vacation cooped up in the hotel. Due to inclement weather, they were unable to contact their family members, prompting the latter to approach the district administration for help. Takalkar told this newspaper that they are safe and have begun their return journey on Wednesday.
The monsoon mayhem in HP has claimed around 20 lives in the past 48 hours while damage to infrastructure is estimated anywhere between ₹3,000 crores and ₹4,000 crores. The HP government is working round-the-clock to restore road transport and power supply, and the situation is expected to return to normalcy in the next 72 hours, officials said.
Another tourist, Vijaykumar Balaji Mali, 23, who is originally from Latur but resides in Alandi, is stranded in Mandi along with three of his friends. A chemical engineer by profession, Mali said, “We landed in HP on July 6 and since July 8, there has been heavy rain causing havoc. Infrastructure has been damaged. We have no option but to face the situation.”
Refuting allegations of the Pune district administration not having contacted all the tourists from Pune stranded in HP, Vitthal Banote, disaster management officer, Pune district, said, “This is not true. We have contacted all the stranded tourists and all of them are safe. In fact, we have helped the stranded tourists contact their parents and loved ones as well. There is no need to worry as we are here to offer all necessary assistance to them.’’
When the Hindustan Times contacted Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh, he said, “As of now, we have received the names of 18 tourists from the city who are stranded in HP. We have successfully contacted all of them and they are all safe. We are in contact with the local administration to evacuate our people safely.’’
According to the district administration, the first batch of stranded tourists has already started their return journey while the remaining batches will soon begin their return journey. The district administration is closely monitoring the situation and is prepared to offer all necessary assistance to the stranded tourists.
