Shimla, Aug 17 (PTI) Heavy rainfall across Himachal Pradesh on Monday led to the closure of 87 roads, while a massive flood washed away an iron bridge in a village in Chamba district, leaving scores of pilgrims stranded.
The local Met office has issued an orange alert for Tuesday.
A rain-induced flood swept away the iron bridge at Baloth gram panchayat in the Bharmaur area. Around 50 pilgrims on their way to pay obeisance to Maa Bhagwati Khundhi Wali were left stranded as strong currents completely damaged the pathway to the temple, according to former pradhan Pawan Sharma.
The pilgrims were rescued by villagers, who made a temporary wooden footbridge and helped them cross safely.
Sharma said he received news of damage to the bridge and rushed to the spot along with locals.
“The villagers quickly constructed a temporary wooden footbridge and helped the pilgrims cross to safety,” he added.
A large number of pilgrims take the route to visit the temple. As per a tradition, they take a holy dip in the Mata Dal Lake on ‘Jyeshtha Mangalwar’ (a Tuesday in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha) and travel 35-40 kilometres on foot to reach the temple, villagers said.
Rains continued to lash parts of the state, with Katula receiving 74.4 mm since 4 pm on Sunday, followed by Jot recording 52.6 mm, Dharamshala 30.1 mm, Sarahan 20.2 mm and Jogindernagar 15 mm.
A landslide in the evening blocked the Kalka-Shimla national highway, which connects Delhi and Chandigarh with Shimla near Chakki Mor in Solan district. Following this, traffic was halted for some time.
A company engaged in four-laning of the highway is working to clear the debris; however, mud and rocks continue to slide down the hillside, Solan Assistant Superintendent of Police Ramesh Sharma said.
Vehicles heading in both the directions are currently using a single lane, Sharma said, adding that force has been deployed to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement.
The Shimla Met office has issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in four districts — Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur — on Tuesday. A wet spell is forecast in the state until August 23.
A maximum of 33 roads were closed in Kullu, followed by 27 in Mandi, 9 in Shimla, 6 in Kangra, 4 each in Sirmaur and Una, and one in the Lahaul and Spiti district, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre.
The Met also issued a yellow alert for heavy rains in isolated places from Wednesday to Friday.
Since the monsoon began on June 30, as many as 80 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state, including 14 in landslides and one in flash floods. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 994 crore so far, according to officials. PTI BPL RUK RUK
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