The death toll in the rain fury in Himachal Pradesh rose to 57 on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 with the body of a woman being pulled out of the debris of a collapsed Shiv temple near Summer Hill here, officials said.
Heavy rains have battered Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, triggering landslides in Shimla's Summer Hill, Krishna Nagar and Fagli.
"Rescue operations are going on in Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar areas and one body has been recovered from Summer Hill," Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi said.
He said so far 13 bodies have been recovered from Summer Hill, five bodies from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Ten bodies are still feared buried in the debris of the Shiv temple that collapsed on Monday.
About 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families have been shifted to safe places. Several others have vacated their homes themselves fearing slides due to incessant rains.
Two persons were killed and at least eight houses were razed to the ground and a slaughter house was buried under debris in a major landslide at Krishnanagar locality in the heart of Shimla city on Tuesday evening.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday that a nearly 157 per cent surge in rainfall over the past few days has resulted in extensive damage across Himachal Pradesh and about 60 people have been killed in the last three days.
The Education department had ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the state on Wednesday due to inclement weather and the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till August 19.
800 roads blocked
About 800 roads are blocked in the State and the losses suffered by the State since the onset of monsoon since June 24 has crosses ₹7,200 crore, officials said.
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 national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration works.
‘Mountain-like challenge’ before Himachal: CM Sukhu
Himachal Pradesh will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked by the heavy rains this monsoon but the State is up to the“mountain-like challenge”, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on August 16.
In an interview with PTI, he said the estimated damage in the two devastating spells of heavy rain – this week and in July – is about ₹10,000 crore.
Rains this week triggered landslides across the State, blocking roads and bringing down houses. About 60 people are dead, and more feared buried under the rubble.
The Chief Minister said it takes time to rebuild roads and water projects. But the government is speeding up the process. “We have to get the infrastructure fully restored within a year. I am working with this in mind.” “It’s a big challenge, a mountain-like challenge. But we are not going to back away,” he said.
The State Government will continue with its vision to make Himachal Pradesh “self-reliant” in four years and the country’s “most prosperous” State in 10 years. “But it will take a year for us to rise from this tragedy,” Mr. Sukhu, whose Congress Government came to power, last December, said.
He laid the blame for the massive damage on the intensity of the rains since Sunday — saying this was the “first time” about 50 people died in a single day — and on the lack of “structural designing” in the State.
Buildings obstruct the natural course of water flow at places, and there is little attention paid to designing structures. “The river didn’t enter homes, the homes entered the river,” he said.
He stopped short of identifying the widening of roads by the National Highways Authority of India as a significant cause, saying most of the landslides weren’t at the edge of these roads.
The CM said climate change could have played a part. It never rained like this before in Lahaul-Spiti, he said, giving an example.
During the interview, he indicated there would be new guidelines and tougher implementation of building rules. He cited issues like proper drainage, studying the soil on which buildings are being constructed and a consideration of weight-bearing capacity of floors.
He also called for change in Central Government norms for helping States that face natural calamities. The hill States and those in the Northeast should get more, he said.
The Centre gives ₹1.5 lakh for repairing one kilometre of damaged road, he said. “That’s nothing.” Mr. Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh gets ignored because it has small representation in Parliament, but the State should be given a special package by the Centre as it is the “lungs of northern India”.
He urged tourists to continue visiting Himachal Pradesh, saying the broken roads to Shimla and Kangra Valley will be restored.
“And after the monsoons, come anytime,” he said, asking tourists to celebrate Diwali and the New Year in his State.
