Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 2 : Heavy rainfall during the late hours on Monday in Himachal Pradesh triggered a road collapse that claimed five lives, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, adding that several panchayat link roads, water supply schemes and electricity lines were also disrupted across the state.
"Heavy rainfall occurred last night. Five people have been killed because of a road collapse. Several panchayat link roads and district roads have been affected. Drinking water schemes have been affected along with electricity in several parts. Now, we are trying to understand the number of losses that occurred due to last night's rainfall," said CM Sukhu.
"Because there was heavy rainfall last night, the number will also be higher. The government is monitoring the situation closely," he added.
In the Manimahesh and Bharmour regions, Sukhu said that the government had arranged transportation for stranded people. "Several people travelling from Bharmour to Manimahesh, in the first lot, 3,500 people were brought back. Approximately 12,000 people were stranded in Bharmour, and about 5,000 were sent back to Marimesh via buses arranged by the government, as the roads from Chamba to Bharmour were in poor condition and had been washed away," the Himachal CM told ANI.
He added that "approximately 14-15 people died during the Manimahesh yatra, and that was because of a lack of oxygen."
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur slammed the state government, accusing it of failing to respond effectively to the recent disaster in Chamba. He also alleged that CM Sukhu was attending political programmes in Bihar during the crisis.
"The government has completely failed during this disaster. While the Assembly session was underway and a major disaster struck Chamba, the Chief Minister was attending political programmes in Bihar. There is a big difference between the figures given by the CM and Deputy CM in the House," Thakur said on Monday.
"In Chamba, the disaster exposed the system. A large number of people are still stranded. The government's priority should be relief in disaster-hit areas," he added.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the ongoing monsoon devastation in Himachal Pradesh has claimed 326 lives so far, including 171 in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, and 155 in road accidents.