Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 14 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Monday urged the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government to look into the devastation occurred to flash floods and heavy rainfall in Thunag bazaar area of Mandi district with "seriousness."
Speaking to ANI, Thakur pointed that a mass destruction has been occurred in the area and it will cost in lakhs for people to rebuild their shops and homes.
The BJP MP said, "When you come here, you will see what a natural disaster looks like... There are many people here whose homes have been destroyed and shops devastated. In Thunag's market, where the mud was up to 12 feet high, the damage runs into lakhs. Now, people have to spend thousands to clear the mud, and setting up their shops again will cost them lakhs more. The compensation, however, is Rs 2500. What will happen in Rs 2500?"
"I urge the state government should look into this matter with great seriousness... I feel that government employees and officials need to step up their efforts... We do not want to play politics on this issue..." he added.
Thunag in Mandi district is severely affected by the torrential rains and flash floods on the night of June 30 and July 1.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for six districts of Himachal Pradesh, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next two days, while also cautioning about continued rain activity across the state till July 20.
According to Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, moderate rainfall was recorded in the past 24 hours in districts including Shimla, Sirmaur, Kullu, and Mandi.
"For July 14 and 15, we expect light to moderate rainfall in most mid-hill and low-hill districts. However, Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts are under Orange Alert for today due to the likelihood of heavy to heavy rainfall, and this activity will continue tomorrow as well," Sharma said.
He further informed that for July 15, districts including Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur have been put under Orange Alert for very heavy rainfall, while Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Kullu districts may witness isolated heavy rain for which a Yellow Alert has been issued.
"This spell of active monsoon is expected to continue from July 16 to July 20, during which Una, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur districts may receive heavy rainfall at isolated places," said Sharma.
Discussing the seasonal rainfall trends, Sharma noted that there is an increase in monsoon rainfall above the normal.
Himachal Pradesh continues to face a grim monsoon season, with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirming a total of 98 fatalities between June 20 and July 13, 2025, across the state.
Of these, 57 deaths have been caused by rain-related disasters like landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 41 people have lost their lives in road accidents, as per the latest situation report issued at 10 am on Monday.
In addition to the human toll, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported widespread damage to essential public utilities, 208 roads remain blocked, including one national highway (NH-21 from Mandi to Kullu). And 139 Distribution Transformers (DTRs) have been disrupted and 745 water supply schemes are currently affected due to heavy rains and related damage.
As per the Cumulative Loss Report released by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), among the rain-related fatalities, 15 people died due to cloudbursts, 9 by drowning, 8 in flash floods, 4 due to snake bites, 1 each from a landslide and fire, and 19 others due to electrocution, falls, or other reasons. No deaths were reported due to lightning.
The worst-affected district is Mandi, which alone accounts for 21 of these rain-related deaths, along with 27 missing persons and extensive damage to property.