‘Will take a year,’ says Himachal Pradesh CM as monsoon fury destroys infra worth Rs 10k crore

At least 60 people have died in landslides and flash floods since Sunday as rains intensified due to a fresh spell of western disturbance.

Indian Air Force personnel conduct rescue operation to save stranded residents in flood-affected areas of Himachal Pradesh | PTI photo

New Delhi: Devastating rains in Himachal Pradesh have cost the state over Rs 10,000 crore, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said Wednesday, predicting that it would take at least a year for the state to redevelop its ruined infrastructure.

Sukhu, who visited the low-lying Kangra Valley Wednesday, informed that 100 people were still trapped there while 650 had been rescued after the release of water from the Pong Dam which flooded the Sutlej riverbed.

At least 60 people have died in landslides and flash floods since Sunday as monsoon fury intensified due to a fresh spell of western disturbance.

Dozens have died in landslides in Summer Hill, Krishna Nagar and Fagli in state capital Shimla, while another devastating mudslide on Tuesday was foreseen, and the people evacuated.

Horrifying visuals of another landslide that look place at Krishna Nagar- Shimla today.

The residents of these houses were evacuated earlier this morning by the administration fearing landslide. #HimachalFloods #landslides #shimlafloods #shimla pic.twitter.com/bJNNSn9hhp

— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) August 15, 2023

Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told news agency PTI Wednesday that 13 bodies were pulled out from the collapsed Shiv Temple in Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. He said 10 are feared buried in the debris of the temple that collapsed on Monday.

In Krishnanagar Tuesday evening, two people were killed and at least eight houses and a slaughter house buried under debris in a big landslide in the area, which is in the heart of Shimla.

The chief minister met officials on Wednesday morning to assess the rescue and relief operations as disaster forces, along with the Army and Air Force stepped up efforts to minimise the damage.

Sukhu said Tuesday that a 157 per cent surge in rainfall over the past few days had resulted in extensive damage across Himachal Pradesh.

All schools and colleges were shut Wednesday while the state university suspended classes till 19 August.

Earlier in July, heavy rains in the state, including in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla, claimed several lives and destroyed property worth crores.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has urged the Centre to declare a state of national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration.