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Chandigarh-Manali highway reopens for traffic

Chandigarh-Manali highway reopens for traffic

Time of India3 days ago
Shimla: The Chandigarh-Manali highway, which was blocked at 4 Mile near Pandoh in Mandi district due to a landslide Saturday afternoon, was reopened for traffic after more than 24 hours Sunday evening.
A police officer from Mandi said one-way traffic was allowed on the highway from 5 pm Sunday.
With the road being disrupted, commuters on both sides of the highway were forced to spend the night in their vehicles. A groom and around 60 baratis, who were on their way from Sainj in Kullu to Sarkaghat in Mandi, were also stuck.
The alternate link road via Kamand-Kataula was also blocked Saturday evening, leaving the commuters with no other option but to stay on the highway.
The police had to launch a rescue operation after a few passengers from Punjab tried to get to the other side of the road by crossing the hill, part of which had come down. The passengers got stuck while crossing the hill in the pitch dark and were rescued later by a team of local police.
While the search and relief operations continued in the flood-hit areas, 152 roads in Mandi district remained blocked. According to the district emergency operations centre, the highest number of 93 blocked roads was in the Seraj area, followed by 25 in Thalout and 11 in Dharampur sub-divisions.
Also, 68 transformers were non-functional on Sunday – 67 in the flood-hit Gohar sub-division alone. Water supply also remained affected in parts of Mandi district as 141 schemes are yet to be restored. The highest number of 89 water supply schemes remained disrupted in the Thunag sub-division of Mandi.
Overall, 196 roads remained closed throughout Himachal Pradesh; 73 transformers were non-functional; and 787 water supply schemes remained disrupted – 612 in Kangra district alone.
As the situation is gradually improving in the disaster-affected areas, Mandi district administration on Sunday decided that all the educational institutions in Thunag sub-division would be reopened from July 14, except for the schools at Khablech, Bhakalwar, Banyad, Nihir, Bhalwar, Ruhara, Bhulah, Lamsafar, and Naraindhar. These schools will reopen on July 16.
According to the state emergency operations centre (SEOC), the death toll in the disaster affected districts of Himachal has reached 98. The maximum number of 21 deaths was reported from Mandi district, followed by 14 in Kangra, 10 in Kullu, nine in Chamba, eight in Hamirpur, seven each in Bilaspur and Shimla, six each in Solan, Una, and Kinnaur, and two each in Lahaul Spiti and Sirmaur districts.
As per the SEOC, the state suffered a total loss of around Rs 770.96 crore between June 20 and July 13.
MSID:: 122420096 413 |
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