Himachal Pradesh: Air force helicopters deliver relief materials to flood-affected areas

Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 14 : Air force helicopters delivered relief materials to the flood-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh, which has been battered by torrential rains.

Meanwhile, the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, Ashutosh Garg said that relief and rescue work is being done on a war footing in the entire district. 

"Our relief and rescue work is being done on war footing in the entire district. Around 1800 plus transformers were affected by the floods out of which 50% have been restored by the Electricity Department. Road connectivity of the Manali-Chandigarh national highway stretch via Kandi-Kataula road has been restored", said the Kullu Deputy Commissioner.  

Notably, the number of fatalities in North India is on the rise as the region continues to be battered by torrential rains since the last weekend which have triggered landslides and flash floods. Among all the affected states, Himachal Pradesh remains the hardest hit, with 91 reported deaths in the state.

"91 people lost their lives in Himachal Pradesh from June 24 to July 13. 34 deaths happened due to landslides, cloudbust, and flash floods," the government data stated.

Furthermore, over 1000 roads in the state are still closed, and more than 5000 water supply schemes have been damaged.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Himachal Pradesh is expected to experience heavy rainfall starting from July 14, with the downpour projected to last for five days. 

CM Sukhu visited the flood-hit Thunag Sub-division in Seraj constituency of district Mandi and took stock of the situation at Thunag market which is severely affected by the flood. He announced to provide rupees one lakh each to the affected families and also directed to channel the Thunag rivulet to avoid such mishaps.

CM Sukhu also announced to provide land for the construction of the house which was swept away and directed to clear the debris from the market at the earliest. He also interacted with the locals and assured them of every possible assistance from the government.

The Chief Minister said more than 50,000 tourists have been evacuated by rescuers from across the state.

"We have successfully evacuated over 50,000 tourists from Himachal Pradesh in the last 48 hours, till 8 PM today. I would like to thank our administration and staff across various departments, who are working tirelessly and round the clock to restore our roads, power, water supply, and network connectivity," tweeted CM Sukhu.

Meanwhile, acting DGP of Himachal Pradesh, Satwant Atwal Trivedi took to her Twitter handle on Wednesday to say that 6 Israeli tourists had been transferred safely to the town of Manikaran, while another 37 were safe and in good health at Barshaini.

According to information received from the police administration, 37 Israelis were stranded in Kasol. Apart from this, 294 tourists who were stranded in Chandratal have also been successfully taken to Losar on foot.

Keeping in view the grim situation in the state due to incessant rains, the state Education Minister Rohit Thakur extended monsoon holidays for schools in Himachal Pradesh. 

Rohit Thakur said, "The monsoon holidays have been extended till July 16 for the schools."

Furthermore, the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Competitive (Preliminary) Examination has been postponed to August 20 owing to incessant rainfall in the state which has led to damage to roads. Earlier the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Competitive (Preliminary) Examination was scheduled on July 23.