61 Dead this week, loss of 10,000 Crores: Chief Minister on Himachal rain

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

New Delhi, Aug 16, 2023: At least 61 people died this week so far due to landslides and flashfloods in Himachal Pradesh, home to scenic mountains and a popular tourist destination that has been battered by heavy rain since last week. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said his state would take a year to rebuild the infrastructure damaged this monsoon and the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rain – this week and in July – is about ₹ 10,000 crore.

 

Dozens have died in landslides in Summer Hill, Krishna Nagar and Phagli in state capital Shimla since Sunday, while another was reported this morning in Summer Hill again.

An official said 13 bodies have been recovered from the debris in Summer Hill, five from Phagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Several others are feared buried in the debris of a temple that collapsed on Monday.

A landslide washed away around eight houses in Krishna Nagar in the heart of Shimla last evening, killing two people. Several other houses were vacated.

A cloudburst incident in Solan district killed seven people on Monday.

Over 800 people have been rescued from the low-lying areas and evacuation efforts are on, said Mr Sukhu, who did an aerial survey of the rain-hit areas in Kangra district today.

He has pegged the death figure at 61 in the last three days. A meeting was convened where structural norms and drainage issues were taken up, he said. "There has been a lot of damage due to the rain. Restoration will take time, but it will be done on a war footing," he had assured.

The Chief Minister said it takes time to rebuild roads and water projects. But the government is speeding up the process. "We have to get the infrastructure fully restored within a year. I am working with this in mind." "It’s a big challenge, a mountain-like challenge. But we are not going to back away," he said.

The state government will continue with its vision to make Himachal Pradesh "self-reliant" in four years and the country’s "most prosperous" state in 10 years."But it will take a year for us to rise from this tragedy," Mr Sukhu, whose Congress government came to power, last December, said.

All schools and colleges across the state will remain closed till August 19 in view of the extreme weather. Himachal Pradesh University too has suspended teaching activities till then.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the state - one each in Shimla and Kangra. Besides, the Air Force, Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are also helping in rescue operations in Shimla.

Officials said at least 800 roads are blocked in the state due to landslides and the state has suffered losses worth thousands of crores this monsoon season.

Both Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand, which too has witnessed dozens of deaths this monsoon season, are set to receive more rain, according to weather forecast.

The state Congress, which is in power in the state, has sought help from the central government and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should declare Himachal Pradesh a disaster-hit state.