Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 17 : Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Thursday that the state has suffered over Rs 1,000 crore in damages due to the ongoing monsoon-related disasters, including flash floods, landslides, and heavy rainfall.
Speaking to ANI in Shimla, Negi said the scale of the devastation across the state has been unprecedented in the past 28 days.
"So far, 109 people have lost their lives, out of which 64 deaths were caused directly due to rain-induced disasters like flash floods and landslides. The remaining fatalities occurred mainly due to road accidents during the same monsoon period," Negi told ANI.
The minister added that more than 226 roads remain blocked, including one National Highway--NH-707, which has suffered significant damage. Public utilities have also suffered a severe impact, with 52 Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) affecting electricity supply schemes and 137 drinking water supply schemes disrupted across the state.
"In district Mandi, rescue and relief operations in some areas have been halted temporarily," he said. "The likelihood of finding missing persons in certain regions is now extremely low. However, operations are continuing in areas where there is still some hope," he later added.
"Since June 20, in a span of about 28 days, we've lost 64 people to rain-related incidents and around 45 in road accidents. The infrastructure loss, including roads, drinking water schemes, power supply lines, and private property such as agricultural land, orchards, and homes, is currently estimated at around Rs 1,000 crore," Negi said.
Furthermore, the minister warned that the monsoon is far from over, and alerts continue to be issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
"Heavy rain warnings are being issued frequently for various regions. We are on high alert. All our district disaster management teams are activated and fully alert," he emphasised.
Later, on the restoration front, Negi said that Major roads have been restored and link roads are being restored.
"Major roads have been temporarily restored. Work on link roads is ongoing. Machinery and manpower have been deployed. Every possible effort is being made to restore connectivity and normalcy," he said.
In a public appeal, Jagat Singh Negi urged residents, saying, "I appeal to people to follow the weather advisories issued by the Meteorological Department. Anyone planning to travel should check alerts before heading to their destination."