Ex-Himachal CM Jairam Thakur condoles loss of lives caused due to heavy rains,urges Centre to provide assistance

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 9 : Expressing anguish over the loss of lives in Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains, and landslides, state Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur on Sunday appealed to the Centre to provide all possible assistance to the persons, affected due to inclement weather.

The former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh also urged the state government led by CM Sukhu to evacuate people safely as soon as possible. Along with this, he appealed to the people of Himachal Pradesh to stay safe in their homes during the rainy season and come out only when absolutely necessary.

Taking note of bridges, connecting Aut village to Banjar, and of Pandoh village washed away by the overflowing Beas river in Mandi district, the BJP leader said, "Bridges in Pandoh and Aut were the identity of the state."

The Leader of the Opposition said that the government should provide all possible help to the people affected by the rains.

"Immediate help should be given to those whose houses have been damaged. Keeping vigilance in flood-affected areas, the task force should be deployed there so that quick action can be taken in case of any emergency," he said.

Thakur also urged the government to open the roads blocked due to rain as soon as possible, so that normal life could be restored.

The hilly state is also experiencing landslides and flash floods in various districts due to the rising water levels in the Beas River, resulting in the loss of several lives. Furthermore, the overflowing Beas River entered Pandoh village in Mandi district, causing damage to houses and sweeping away cars.

Due to continuous heavy rainfall and inclement weather conditions in several districts of Himachal Pradesh, train services on the Shimla-Kalka route were also suspended on Sunday.

Station Superintendent, of Shimla Railway Station, Joginder Singh toldthat landslides caused by heavy downpours have damaged railway tracks at multiple locations between Shimla and Kalka, leading to the suspension of train operations.

"Yesterday, two trains, including a passenger train, were cancelled for today. In the morning we learned that the weather forecast is very bad, like the past few days, and yesterday too it rained overnight, causing landslides at many places between Kalka-Shimla routes, and uprooting trees. So we decided to suspend all train services on the Shimla-Kalka route," the official said.

According to Meteorological Centre, Shimla, moderate to heavy rainfall with thunder at most places and very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to continue in the districts of Shimla, Solan, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), isolated extremely heavy rainfall is also very likely in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and adjoining districts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh on Sunday.