Monsoon mayhem: Extensive damage to houses, fields in Mandi, says Himachal CM

Hans India

a day ago

Shimla: Saying that this week's heavy rainfall and multiple cloudbursts have left 69 dead and 37 missing in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Friday stated the extensive damage to houses and fields was in the Seraj and Dharampur areas of Mandi district.
The government has decided to provide Rs 5,000 per month as rent to affected families whose houses have been damaged and are living in rented accommodation. He said the SDMs concerned have been directed to provide food supplies to the affected people.
The Chief Minister told the media here that these key decisions were taken after discussions with Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar and other legislators. He said the disaster left 110 people injured. Soon, he would visit the affected areas again.
Sukhu said he had a telephone conversation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the damage in the state. The Union Home Minister has assured full support, and a Central team will visit the state to assess the situation. He said 14 cloudburst incidents have occurred in Mandi district alone, a matter of concern. 'There is a need to study why such frequent cloudbursts were happening. The issue was also raised with the Union Home Minister,' said the Chief Minister.
He said the state has suffered a loss of Rs 700 crore owing to the rain-related calamities. Roads, electricity infrastructure, and drinking water supply schemes have been severely impacted. He said that all Cabinet ministers were conducting review meetings in their respective departments to assess the extent of the damage. Regarding the closure of road links, the Chief Minister said nearly 300 roads are blocked, around 790 drinking water schemes have been damaged, and 332 power transformers have been affected.
In Mandi district alone, 402 people have been rescued as part of relief operations. He said 92 students and teachers who were stranded at the Forestry and Horticulture in Thunag College have been safely evacuated.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been carrying out search operations in several villages in Thunag.
Responding to a question on National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) projects in the state, the Chief Minister said large companies were often awarded contracts, but they lack understanding of the fragile hill terrain. As a result, they conduct hill-cutting as per their convenience, which causes damage. He advised NHAI to consider awarding such contracts to local contractors, who are familiar with the topography.
Meanwhile, a state government spokesperson said 241 water supply schemes were damaged in the Thunag area, of which 66 have already been temporarily restored. As of now, 164 roads remain blocked in the Mandi district.
In addition, rescue and relief efforts are in full swing in Rukchui, Bharad and Piyala Deji villages in the Thunag subdivision. So far, 65 people from Thunag have been moved to safer places and provided medical care.