Monsoon menace: Death toll climbs to 74 in Himachal
The death toll from rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh rose to 74 on Thursday, with two deaths in the Chamba district. Around 2,074 people have been rescued in the past three days, including 309 people from the flood-affected Kangra district. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted more rainfall in the state until Tuesday. It also predicted light rains in Delhi until Monday, heavy rainfall activity in east and adjoining central India until Saturday, and in Northeast India until Monday.
One more body found in temple debris
Shimla experienced three major landslides in Summer Hill, Fagli, and Krishna Nagar, resulting in 21 of the total 74 fatalities. Another body was found in the rubble of the Shiva temple in Shimla's Summer Hill that collapsed on Monday following a cloudburst. Eight individuals are still feared to be buried under the wreckage. Around 875 roads remain blocked, while 1,135 transformers and 285 water delivery schemes in the hill state have been disrupted.
Centre approves Rs. 2,643 crore for upgrading rural roads
On Thursday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited flood-affected regions and reassured residents of the government's support. Sukhu's government also relaxed conditions for disbursing the MLA local area development fund to facilitate relief efforts. Now, MLAs can allocate Rs. 2.10 crore every year for projects such as the construction of retaining walls and nullah channelization. Additionally, the Centre has approved Rs. 2,643 crore for improving 254 rural roads this fiscal year under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
State government aims to rebuild within a year
Earlier, Sukhu said the estimated losses since the onset of the monsoon amount to about Rs. 10,000 crore. On the other hand, Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said the monsoon season's losses reached around Rs. 7,500 crore. The government wants to accelerate the restoration process to rebuild the infrastructure completely within a year.
300 rescued in Punjab's Kapurthala
Separately, the Army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued nearly 300 people from marooned villages in Punjab's Kapurthala on Thursday. Relief and rescue work continues in some of the flood-affected districts in the state. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann visited the flood-affected areas in the Hoshiarpur district in a boat to assess the situation. Notably, Himachal Pradesh, which borders Punjab, has surpassed the season's average rainfall in 54 days.
