India News | Almost All Major Roads in Monsoon Disaster-hit Areas of Mandi Opened: Himachal CM
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Friday that nearly all major roads in the Mandi district, which were affected by monsoon disasters, have been reopened, with ongoing efforts to restore link roads at a rapid pace.
Mandi (HP), July 11 (PTI) Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Friday that nearly all major roads in the Mandi district, which were affected by monsoon disasters, have been reopened, with ongoing efforts to restore link roads at a rapid pace.
Speaking to media personnel in Sundernagar after his three-day visit to the affected areas of Seraj and Nachan assembly constituencies, Sukhu emphasised that the government acted swiftly to restore essential services in the affected areas.
A total of 224 roads in the state, including National Highway 3 (Atari to Leh) and 166 other roads, were closed in Mandi on Friday morning, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
Over 150 transformers and 800 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state, of which 143 and 204, respectively, are in Mandi district.
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At least 15 people died and several went missing after being washed away in the 10 cloudburst incidents, followed by flash floods and a landslide on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1 in different parts of Mandi.
The calamity also caused extensive property damage, affecting 1,184 houses, 710 cow sheds and 201 shops. As many as 780 livestock also perished in the disaster.
Sukhu further informed that 50 JCB machines were engaged to open the roads of the affected areas from the very first day of the disaster. He added that rains have also caused a lot of damage in the Dharampur area of Mandi.
The chief minister stated that the road leading to Chail Chowk, Bagsyad, Thunag, Janjehli, and Chhatri will be included in the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) to be developed into a composite road.
Noting that the road and bridges from Thunag to Janjehli suffered extensive damage, Sukhu confirmed that they have been temporarily restored. He also expressed confidence that there will not be any shortage of funds for restoration efforts, a statement said.
Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani would be in the disaster-affected areas for the next two days. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh were in Mandi to take stock of the relief and rescue operations.
So far, the government has released Rs 7 crore for these relief and rescue works so that the restoration work can be accelerated further, Sukhu said, reiterating that "he will seek permission from the Central Government to allocate forest land for the relocation of people to safer areas".
He also urged the BJP MPs of the state to support the state government's proposal to gain permission from the Central Government, enabling locals to be settled in safer locations.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)