Gyan Thakur/HP
Shimla, 24 August
The disaster that rained from the sky in Himachal Pradesh and the dreadful scene after that did not stop. On Thursday, 8 buildings near the new bus stand at Aani in Kullu district were razed to the ground. Two more buildings are in danger. Meanwhile, it is a matter of pride that the administration had got the said building vacated after giving notice 5 days in advance. The situation has become so dire due to landslides that the communication between Mandi and Kullu has been cut off. About 1000 tourists and other people are stuck in the open. These people do not have any food or drink. After much hue and cry, the state government has currently delivered 950 food packets. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has directed the local district administration to provide free food to those stranded on the way till they are evacuated.
On the other hand, due to the collapse of buildings in Ani on Thursday, a cloud of dust and debris scattered around. As soon as the information regarding the dangerous buildings was received, Ani’s SDM Naresh Verma reached the spot and got the houses declared unsafe by the administration vacated and shifted the people to another place. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said that other dangerous houses are also being evacuated. He said the threat of landslides remained constant and the situation could worsen in case of rains. Those whose houses have been destroyed include the joint house of Mahesh Kumar, Subhash Chand, Gyan Chand and Indra Chand, Vidya Devi, Shashi Bala, Suresh Kumar, Chiranji Lal, Khem Chand, Laik Ram and Tule Ram. Apart from these, the houses of Bhupendra Kant Mishra and Fakir Chand are under constant threat. Meanwhile, 3 more bodies were recovered in the landslide that occurred on August 14 at Shiv Bawdi in Shimla. With this, bodies of 20 people missing in this accident have been recovered. In Himachal Pradesh, more than 350 people have tragically died so far in the rainy season. The loss to the state is estimated to be over Rs 12,000 crore.
All possible help is being given: Sukhu
Chief Minister Sukhu told reporters in Shimla that all possible help was being provided by the state government to the people stranded at various places due to heavy rains and landslides blocking roads in Kullu and Mandi districts. He said that the concerned district administrations are providing free food and temporary camp facilities to the people. Simultaneously, work is being done on a war footing to restore the blocked routes and make the situation normal.
scary weather forecast
The weather forecast is scaring people in many areas of Himachal Pradesh. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall on August 25 for the remaining 10 districts of the state except Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur districts. The Meteorological Office has expressed the possibility of rain till 30 August.
