Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 13: The unprecedented cloud burst that caused a series of landslides and flash floods in all the rivers leading to traffic dislocation in the last five days, has still left over 10,000 tourists stranded in the Himalayan state.
The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said a total of 60,000 stranded tourists have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas, but still about 10,000 more were still to be evacuated.
“Until 9 am today, a total of 60,000 stranded tourists have been successfully evacuated from Himachal Pradesh. I am currently stationed in Kullu for the past three days, overseeing the ongoing rescue operations”, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shared in a tweet. He further informed that approximately 10,000 tourists are stranded in Kasol and Tirthan Valley due to road damage.
“Approximately 10,000 tourists are stranded in Kasol and Tirthan Valley due to road damage. We are facilitating the transportation of these tourists by trans-shipment, utilising jeeps and HRTC buses from the point where the road is damaged,” he said.
The chief minister also thanked the Indian Air Force for their efforts in the ongoing rescue operations. In a tweet, Sukhu said, “I would like to express my gratitude for the efforts of the @IAF_MCC in this ongoing rescue and relief operation. Despite the extreme and challenging conditions, they demonstrated exceptional skill by rescuing seven individuals who were ill from Chandra Taal Lake. Large-scale air evacuation was not possible at Chandra Taal due to slushy conditions and the unavailability of the helipad. Furthermore, the Indian Air Force had offered to deploy a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter to assist in the transportation of excavators and heavy machinery.”
The Chief Minister said mobile network connectivity has been restored in Manali. After BSNL Mobile, Landline and FTTH services were restored in Manali on Wednesday, efforts were underway to restore the network in Kasol, he said.
As per data shared by the Disaster Management Authority, to date, a total of over 1000 roads are closed, nearly 2,000 electricity schemes are affected and 1,200 water supply projects are hampered in the state due to rain. Further, incessant rainfall led to flash floods and landslides, causing significant damage to life and property in Manali, officials said.
Meanwhile, in Haryana, an irate flood victim allegedly slapped a ruling party MLA when he had come to visit the flood-ravaged Kaithal. Reportedly, the woman was part of the crowd gathered in the area and were all irked over poor drainage system that resulted in waterlogging. They also questioned over delay in his visit. An angry woman then slapped the MLA.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media. In the purported video, the woman and other locals could be heard saying, “Why have you come now?” MLA was rescued by his personal security officers.
At least 10 people have died due to floods in Haryana triggered by incessant rains in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the toll could increase. The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 4 lakh to the kin of people who died in the floods. “Around 10 people have died in the floods so far, but the number may increase, 2 are missing, and many cattle have died…assessment of the losses will be done. ₹ 4 lakhs ex-gratia to be given to kin of dead,” Khattar said.
Over 16,857 hectares of total crop area is affected by the rains in the last 24 hours, while the overall area affected due to rains in the State since June 1 to date was estimated at 1,24,172 hectares.
