Chandigarh-Manali highway has been restored to traffic between Mandi and Pandoh on Friday.

The highway was earlier blocked at approximately 9 miles in Mandi district due to a major landslide since Thursday night.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, led to a complete standstill in traffic movement in the region, leaving numerous vehicles stranded.

Taking its initiative to withdraw subsidies being enjoyed by the well-off sections of society a step forward, the Himachal Pradesh Government on Thursday decided to do away with the free drinking water facility in rural areas and free travel facility for all police personnel.

The Cabinet decided to fix Rs 100 monthly charges for people residing in rural areas with domestic connection, who were getting free water supply till now. However, people with less than Rs 50,000 annual income, including widows, destitute, ekal nari, handicapped and other weaker sections, will not be charged anything for water which will be supplied free.

Last month, the cash-strapped Himachal Government had done away with free power subsidy for all income tax payers. Faced with acute fund crunch, the Sukhu-led Congress regime is looking at other areas to withdraw subsidies for the affluent section of society.

It was in May, 2022, that the previous BJP regime had waived off water charges in all rural areas of Himachal which adversely impacted the financial health of the Jal Shakti Department. “This has resulted in huge losses to the Jal Shakti Department which has to pay Rs 800 crore annually to the power department alone for electricity supply for running its schemes,” said an official. There are about 17 lakh water connections in Himachal.

In urban areas, water bills are being issued by urban local bodies but the big commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, educational institutions and show rooms that have come up in large number all along the highways in rural areas were getting free water supply. Henceforth, water meters will be installed in all these commercial establishments located in rural areas and they will be billed for the amount of water they consume as per the meter reading on commercial rates.

The Cabinet also decided to do away with free travel facility in government buses for police personnel as it was being misused. Henceforth, police personnel while on official duty will be given travel reimbursement to prevent misuse of free travel facility by the cops.

Presently, deduction of Rs 110 per month is made from the salary of police personnel for the free travel facility, whether on official or private travel. The state government has to provide Rs 700 crore grant-in-aid annually to Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) as it is incurring huge losses due to subsidised travel facility for women, students, media personnel and other categories, which could also be reviewed.

Heavy rain lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh, causing landslides and closing more than 100 roads in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

The meteorological office here has issued an ‘orange’ warning for moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state on August 10.

The weather office has also cautioned of low to moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Kangra, Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Solan and Mandi districts in the next 24 hours.

A total of 109 roads, including 37 in Mandi, 29 in Shimla, 26 in Kullu, six in Kangra, four each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, two in Sirmaur and one in Hamirpur, are closed while 58 transformers and 15 water supply schemes are disrupted, as per the state emergency operation centre

Since Tuesday evening, the highest rainfall was recorded in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district at 116.6 mm, followed by Narkanda (89 mm), Dhaulakuan (76.5 mm), Karsog (64.2 mm), Nahan (60.3 mm), Katula (44.3 mm), Gharmoor (42.8 mm), Shimla (32.8), and Kufri (32 mm), it said.

Monsoon activity is likely to increase in intensity and distribution during the next five to six days.

The MeT office has also warned about the possibility of landslides and flash floods in some places and damage to plantations, crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Ninety-four persons have been killed in rain-related incidents and the state has suffered losses amounting to Rs 787 crore during the ongoing monsoon season between June 27 and August 7, officials said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest at night recording a low of 12.8 degrees Celsius while Una was the hottest during the day recording a high of 33 degrees Celsius.

To improve standards and quality of education that have deteriorated in past several years is the major challenge for the state government, said Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani while addressing students on the inauguration of the Zonal Under-14 School Games at Dangar village in Bilaspur district yesterday.

He said that the state was at the 18th position in the country in the quality of education. He added that teachers must take the issue seriously as it was their first duty to provide the best education to their students. As many as 310 students of the U-14 age group are participating in the tournament.

Dharmani said that for the overall development of personality of an individual, participation in games along with studies was important. He added that “games teach team work, discipline and brotherhood. Participation in sports also help in making new friends and exchange of ideas”.

The minister said that the state government had taken several initiatives to improve the quality of education and sports infrastructure in schools. He added that the government had increased the prize money for players, who win medals in various international games. Even at the school level, the government had doubled the diet money for players. Rekha Sharma, principal of the school, was present on the occasion. — OC

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) will be transformed into a ‘green transportation system’ as more electric buses are being introduced in its existing fleet of 110 e-buses and 50 e-taxis, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.

Sukhu, who presided over a meeting of the HRTC, said that Rs 327 crore had been provided for purchasing electric buses and the process was underway to procure 2,000 additional type-II e-buses. The entire fleet of diesel buses would be replaced by e-buses in a phased manner, he added.

He said, “In the first phase, the HRTC is plying six buses to Ayodhya to facilitate pilgrims with a plan to add more buses, if necessary. Besides, it is also providing bus services to other religious places.”

Sukhu said that the state government would provide all possible assistance to the corporation to revive itself from financial losses and become a profitable organisation. “The HRTC, which is the lifeline of the hill transport system, plays a pivotal role in providing reliable services to people. More than 12,000 employees are the backbone of the corporation,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also attended the meeting, said that the HRTC was providing reliable transport services in the challenging terrains of the state.

He said that the employees and pensioners of the organisation were now receiving their salaries and pension on the first day of every month for the past seven months, whereas during the previous BJP government, they had to wait for eight to 10 days to get their salaries released.

Online platform ‘Him-access’ to provide 261 citizen-centric services

A unified online platform, ‘Him-access’, designed to provide citizen-centric services by consolidating all government social security schemes, will be launched soon, said the Chief Minister at a meeting of the Digital Technologies and Governance Department
This platform will enable citizens and government officials to access multiple department applications with one click, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
The platform is scheduled to be launched in October this year and will offer 261 services at present available on the e-district portal
The Chief Minister directed officials to develop websites for Milkfed and Natural Farming, emphasising the importance of modern technology in department functioning and to facilitate efficient, transparent and citizen-centric services
He said that the state government was incorporating modern technology in the functioning of all departments to facilitate people

The meteorological centre here on Tuesday cautioned of moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Himachal Pradesh’s seven out of 12 districts — Kangra, Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur and Mandi — in the next 24 hours.

The weather office issued an ‘orange’ alert of very heavy rain in parts of 10 districts of Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan and Una for the next 24 hours till Wednesday evening.

It also issued an ‘orange’ warning of heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state on August 7 and 10.

Monsoon activity is likely to intensify from Tuesday evening and continue for the next five to six days, bringing fairly widespread rain across the state, the MeT said.

As intermittent rain continued to lash several parts of the state, 53 roads were closed, while 63 water supply schemes were affected, the state emergency operation centre said on Tuesday evening.

Sixteen people died in flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on July 31 and 40 are still missing.

Eighteen roads were closed in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, nine in Lahaul and Spiti, six in Kangra and two each in Sirmaur and Kinnaur on Tuesday evening, the emergency response centre said.

Bharwain received the highest rainfall of 66 mm since Monday evening, followed by 56.6 mm in Ghaghas, 53 mm in Jogindernagar, 52.6 mm in Slapper, 46 mm in Gohar, 40.2 mm in Una and 35.5 mm in Bilaspur.

The weather office also warned about the possibility of landslides and flash floods in some places and damage to plantations, standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

According to officials, 93 people were killed in rain-related incidents between June 27 and August 6 and the state suffered losses amounting to Rs 748 crore.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night recording a low of 12.4 degrees Celsius, while Bhuntar in Kullu district was hottest during the day recording a high of 34.2 degrees Celsius. PTI

Actor-MP Kangana Ranaut on Tuesday visited disaster-hit Samej in this district and accused the state government of doing “nothing” to help the victims.

‘Yeh dil dehla deni wali trasadi hai’ (it is a heart-wrenching tragedy). People have lost all their family members, including children. They are terrified and in trauma. I would request the state government to provide immediate relief (financial assistance) to the affected families,” Ranaut, who interacted with the flash flood victims in Samej in Rampur subdivision, said.

The BJP MP from Mandi also demanded a special inquiry into allocation of funds by the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government to the flood-affected families last year.

Himachal Pradesh has been pummelled by heavy rains for almost a week. Fourteen bodies have been recovered so far and 40 people are still missing after flash floods triggered by cloudbursts hit Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31, officials said.

“Malana in Kullu district has been disconnected. The villagers are themselves making the bridge,” Ranaut said.

She accused the state government of doing “nothing” to help the affected people in Samej village, where over 30 people are missing.

“I cannot see anything being done by the state government. Not a single thing has been done here by ministers which is inhuman,” the BJP leader alleged.

Samej village, about 148 km from here, has been worst hit in the flash floods. Rampur, Kullu and Mandi are under the Mandi parliamentary constituency from where Ranaut was elected in the recently held Lok Sabha polls.

“I have come as a representative of the Union government. The central government will provide funds to help the flood-affected people but we all know that financial assistance was also given last year after the monsoon disaster. These funds go to the state government and are distributed by them,” she said.

“No one knows what happened to those funds. The Union finance minister, during her recent budget speech, also assured assistance to Himachal Pradesh but the funds would come through the ‘ditch’ (khada) created by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Only God knows if the money will be distributed or not among the affected families,” the BJP MP said.

“Himachal has been facing disasters ever since the Congress came to power in the state,” she said, claiming the people affected by last year’s disaster are still waiting for the promised Rs 7 lakh by CM Sukhu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided Rs 1,800 crore package to the state after the disaster last year, Ranaut added.

According to the officials, 410 rescuers from the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the search operation, which has been intensified with additional machinery, sniffer dog squads, drones and other equipment.

The hill state has suffered a loss of Rs 684 crore since the onset of the monsoon on June 27 until August 5. Eighty-seven people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The death toll due to flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh increased to 14 on Monday while about 40 people are still missing, officials said.

About 40 people are still missing after a series of cloudbursts occurred in Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31 and wreaked havoc.

The worst hit was Samej village on the border of Shimla and Kullu district where over 30 people are missing.

Of the total, eight bodies were recovered from Mandi’s Rajbhan village, five from Rampur in Shimla district and one from Nirmand in Kullu district, officials said on Monday.

“All the five bodies recovered from Samej are yet to be identified and we have taken DNA samples of 37 relatives of the missing persons,” said Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap said.

The post-mortems are being conducted and the DNA samples will be sent to a forensic lab in Junga for identification of the deceased, he added.

According to the officials, 410 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the hunt and rescuers have intensified the search operation by deploying more machinery, sniffer dog squad, drones and other equipment.

The hill state has suffered a loss of Rs 684 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 27 till August 5. Eighty-seven people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, as per the state emergency operation centre.

The Manali-Leh highway has been blocked near Zingzingbar in Lahaul and Spiti district following a flash flood incident on Monday.

The sudden surge of water, triggered by heavy rain, caused substantial damage to the road, leading to the accumulation of debris and rocks.

According to the police, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), has swiftly mobilised its workforce to address the situation. Teams are currently on the site working to clear the debris.

Given the strategic importance of the Manali-Leh Highway for regional connectivity, the BRO’s efforts are focused on expediting the repair work to minimise disruptions.

“Travellers are advised to avoid the area until the highway is fully reopened. Local authorities are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates on the progress of the clearance operation. In the meantime, alternative routes and transportation options are being evaluated to assist those affected by the blockage,” the police said.

Later, the Manali-Leh highway at Zingzingbar in Lahaul and Spiti was made functional for traffic.

A total of 87 roads are closed in Himachal Pradesh due to incidents of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the past five days.

The local meteorological office has issued a yellow alert of heavy showers, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh till August 8 (Thursday).

Of the roads closed for vehicular traffic, 30 are shut in Kullu, 25 in Mandi, 14 in Lahaul and Spiti, nine in Shimla, seven in Kangra, and two in Kinnaur district, according to the state emergency operation centre.

As many as 41 transformers and 66 water supply schemes have also been disrupted, the centre added.

Intermittent rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh with Hamirpur receiving the highest rainfall at 54 mm since Friday evening, followed by Berthin and Dharamsala 19 mm each, Neri 11 mm, Kangra 9,7 mm, Kukumseri 9.6 mm, Sundernagar 8.1 mm, Manali and Chamba 6 mm each and Bajaura 5 mm.

The MeT also cautioned of the possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas and damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds, and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Rain-related incidents have claimed 79 lives between June 27 and August 3 and caused losses amounting to Rs 663 crore, officials said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night recording a low of 12.1 degrees Celsius while Una was the hottest during the day with a high of 36.8 degrees Celsius.

The Army continues its efforts in rescue and restoration in the areas affected by the cloudburst that occurred on Thursday in Rampur’s Samej.

The Army has established temporary bridges to establish connectivity between areas cut off to facilitate rescue operations.

Teams of NDRF, SDRF, Home Guard and CISF have been coordinating to carry out the rescue and search operation.

Home Guard Commandant RP Nepta informed ANI about the rescue operation that recommenced at 7 am in Rampur’s Samej. He stated that five JCBs had been deployed and various teams trying to coordinate to recover the maximum number of bodies.

“It is the fourth day today. Yesterday there was a review meeting. Today, we will work on a war footing. Five JCBs have been deployed here. Task forces have been assigned different roles here. The search operation commenced at 7 am. I am hoping that we will recover bodies today. Local people have told us where we can possibly find bodies. We will conduct search operations over there as well. We are also building a bridge,” said the Home Guard Commandant.

“NDRF, CISF, Army, and Home Guard teams have reached there. We are hoping that the maximum number of bodies will be recovered today. The three bodies that have been recovered have not been identified yet. That is why we are showing those bodies to people. We are also providing relief to people. As many as 36 people are missing here,” he added.

Minister Vikramaditya Singh said on Saturday that around 50 people are feared dead in the affected areas and the official number can only be declared after official confirmation and completion of rescue operations.

Singh said the topmost priority of the state government is to retrieve the bodies and restore connectivity in the affected areas of the state as soon as possible.

More trouble for Himachal as Met predicts heavy rain till Aug 7; no trace of 45 missing in Shimla’s Rampur after cloudbursts

According to officials, 410 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the hunt with the help of drones.

Meanwhile, 114 roads in the state have been closed due to flash floods and landslides, while the weather department on Saturday warned that heavy showers would continue in the state till August 7.

About 45 people have been missing since a series of cloudbursts occurred in Kullu’s Nirmand, Sainj and Malana; Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31 and wreaked havoc.

The body of 11-year-old Anamika was found under a big boulder, which was blasted by the rescue teams, the officials said.

“The possibility of rescuing people alive is diminishing with each passing hour but we just hope that the bodies are recovered soon as delay would lead to decaying of bodies which would make identification difficult,” said Pradhan of Gram Sarpara Mohan Lal Kaptiya.

“A combined rescue operation is underway and efforts are afoot to search for the missing people. We are using various equipment and sensors to detect victims buried or trapped under the debris,” said NDRF Commanding Officer Karam Singh whose team along with others is engaged in searching for the missing people in Samej village on the border of Shimla and Kullu district.

In Rampur subdivision’s Samej village alone, over 30 people are reported missing.

Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday visited the Sainj area in Kullu district and interacted with the affected families.

He said that some of the victims are still awaiting the relief fund and asked the administration to provide help at the earliest.

On Friday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who visited Samej village, announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and said they would be given Rs 5,000 monthly for rent for the next three months along with gas, food and other essential items.

He also said that 115 houses, 23 cowsheds, 10 shops and three fish farms have perished in this disaster besides motorable, footbridges and vehicles in cloudburst since Wednesday night.

The state has suffered a loss of Rs 662 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 27 till August 3. Seventy-nine people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, as per the state emergency operation centre.

114 roads closed in the state

Of the roads closed for vehicular traffic, 36 are in Mandi, 34 in Kullu, 27 in Shimla, eight in Lahaul and Spiti, seven in Kangra, and two in Kinnaur district, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The Himachal Roads Transport Corporation has suspended its bus services on 82 routes, an official said.

Traffic on a stretch of the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway, which had been blocked after a heavy rain, has been restored, authorities said on Saturday.

The stretch between Mandi and Pandoh was blocked Friday night following landslides caused by rain at 5 Mile, 6 Mile and 9 Mile. It took authorities 10 hours to open the road section.

The road was strewn with stones and debris, causing the administration to ask light vehicles to commute via Kataula and Gohar. A large number of vehicles were still stranded on the road.

According to authorities, the road at 5 Mile and 6 Mile has been cleared and one-way traffic is allowed from Mandi to Pandoh at 9 Mile. The road is expected to be opened by 10 am.
The road between Pandoh and Aut has also been damaged near Godh Nallah and Jogni Mata Temple, restricting the traffic to only one side of the carriageway.

The Mandi-Janjehli road was closed near Thunag and Mandi-Dharampur road was closed near Kumarhda. The Mandi administration has asked commuters to keep in mind the condition of the road as well as weather before travelling.

A total of 115 roads –- 46 in Mandi, 38 in Kullu, 15 in Shimla, six each in Kangra and Sirmaur, three in Kinnaur, and one in Lahaul and Spiti — are closed for vehicular traffic following heavy rain in the state Friday evening, according to the state emergency operation centre. with PTI inputs

BJP Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut on Friday termed the catastrophic floods in Himachal Pradesh as “saddening”, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have taken reports

It’s a very saddening thing for us. The life of people living in the mountains is tough. Every year such tragedies come and damage the lives and property of the people of Himachal Pradesh. The PM and the Union HM have taken reports for all the things and have given assurance that more help through relief funds will be provided. I’ll also meet different ministers to seek as much help as I can get. After my work is completed here, I’ll visit Himachal to meet people in their tough times,” Kangana Ranaut said.

She also took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim of ED’s action against him. She said “he makes no sense whatever he says”.

“What should I say about Rahul Gandhi? He makes no sense, at least I don’t get what he says. The most condemnable thing about him is the words he used for the country… It’s not good for the country and as Anurag Thakur has said, Congress’ mentality is to break the nation in pieces to benefit themselves, this thing has been going on since the time of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,” Ranaut said.

An old woman is staring at the roaring nullah full of massive boulders and debris. Her middle-aged son, looking equally lost and dejected, also has his gaze fixed on the nullah.

The mother and the son are clearly unable to accept that two of their family members (his wife and daughter) have been swept away by the gushing waters and are hoping for a miracle.

Like these two heartbroken souls, there are several other stony-eyed people in Samej village on the border of Shimla district and Kullu district near Rampur, mourning their losses. This small village, located on either side of the nullah, was hit by flashfloods on Wednesday midnight following a cloudburst higher up in the hills.

Search to be carried out in 85-km area

The rescue and search operation for 36 persons missing from Samej village, near Rampur, will be carried out over 85 km
Personnel of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, CISF, ITBP, Police, Home Guards and the Fire Department are part of the rescue teams
Anupam Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, and SP Sanjeev Gandhi monitored the rescue operation, which started at 5.30 am, throughout the day
The rescue teams had to walk 2 km to reach the affected area due to the broken road
The search operation will start tomorrow morning and continue till the sunset
The rescue teams were engaged in search and rescue operations at different places
The flashfloods swept away 36 persons and around 25 houses in the village and nearby places down the stream, leaving the entire area in mourning. Someone has lost a wife in the floods, someone saw their children swept away, and a few lost their entire family.
“I was tossed around by the waters before I caught a wooden log and managed to come out of water. Unfortunately, my wife was swept away,” said Prem Chand (75).
People recall hearing a loud noise a little past midnight, followed by water in the nullah rising several metres high. “I woke up hearing a loud noise around midnight. I was shaken when I saw out of my window the water in the nullah had risen as high as the road. And then, I saw some houses on the other bank collapsing in gushing waters,” says Ashish. “I woke up my mother, and we rushed to safety,” he adds.
Along with the houses, a multi-storied building of a Primary Health Centre and a primary school building have been washed away. Lower down the stream, a hydro project has been wrecked by the big boulders that came with the water.
Several agencies have been pressed into the rescue and search operations. “The rescue operation is over, the focus is now on retrieval of the missing persons,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, SP, Shimla. Two bodies were recovered today, but are yet to be identified.

Three people were killed and about 50 went missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads.

The state emergency operation centre said the cloudburst took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts.

Some people are stuck in the Malana I hydropower project. They are in underground buildings and safe and NDRF and Home Guard teams are making efforts to rescue them, she said adding that Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and gushing waters of River Beas.

All educational institutions and schools in the district have been closed for two days in Kullu.

Three people were killed and about 50 went missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads.

The state emergency operation centre said the cloudburst took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts.

Some people are stuck in the Malana I hydropower project. They are in underground buildings and safe and NDRF and Home Guard teams are making efforts to rescue them, she said adding that Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and gushing waters of River Beas.

All educational institutions and schools in the district have been closed for two days in Kullu.

In the early hours on Tuesday, a flash flood swept through Tosh Nullah in the Manikaran Valley of Kullu district, causing significant damage to infrastructure.

The deluge affected two shops, including a wine shop, and inundated a local café. Additionally, a road bridge in the region sustained substantial damage. No loss of life was reported.

According to SDM Kullu Vikas Shukla, the dredging efforts in the area played a crucial role in preventing a major disaster.

Had it not been for these measures, the flash flood could have reached the Kasol market, potentially leading to severe consequences.

The incident marks the second such occurrence in Kullu district this monsoon season. Earlier, a similar flash flood in the Anjani Mahadev area near Manali had washed away three houses and blocked the Manali-Leh highway for an extended period.

SDM Shukla assured that the situation is now under control and normalcy is being restored. Authorities continue to monitor the region to prevent further issues and ensure the safety of the residents.

The meteorological office (MeT) here on Monday issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning over the next two days in seven districts of Himachal Pradesh.

A total of 45 roads, including 29 in Mandi, 8 in Kullu, 4 in Shimla and 2 each in Kangra and Kinnaur districts are closed for vehicular traffic, and 215 transformers are disrupted across the state, the emergency operation centre said.

The Met also sounded a yellow alert for heavy rain on July 30 and August 2 at isolated places in the state.

Monsoon activity is likely to intensify during the next 4 to 5 days with widespread precipitation. Spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur on Tuesday and Wednesday, it said.

The weather department also cautioned of possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Kinnaur districts and damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds, and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

According to rainfall data in the past 24 hours till 5 pm, Ghamoor was the wettest in the state, recording 100 mm rainfall, followed by Dhaulakuan (70 mm), Jubbarhatti (63.4 mm) Dharamshala (53.8 mm), Dehra Gopipur (47.2 mm), Poanta Sahib (43.4 mm), Kufri (43.6 mm), Solan (42.4 mm), and Nahan (40.4 mm).

Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest at night, recording a low of 13.7 degrees Celsius, while Dhaulakuan in Sirmaur district was hottest during the day recording a high of 36.4 degree Celsius.

Official data recorded until this evening showed rain-related incidents have claimed 62 lives in the past one month since the onset of monsoon on June 27.

Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 425 crore in the ongoing monsoon, according to the state emergency operation centre.

One person was killed and three others injured after shooting stones hit a Bolero Camper vehicle near Datiyar on the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of National Highway-5, around 3:17 am on Monday.

The vehicle carrying a Punjab-based vernacular daily was bound for Shimla from Jalandhar.

According to officials, the deceased has been identified as Dev Raj (40), a resident of Phagwara, while those injured are Kuldeep Singh (40) from Garhshankar, Vandana Sondhi (43) and her son Bhavuk (23) from Jalandhar.

The front portion of the vehicle was damaged as heavy boulders rained down on it.

Solan SP Gaurav Singh said that a passersby informed the police about the incident in which a person died on the spot while others are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Parwanoo.

“Further investigation is under way,” he added.