Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday visited the flood affected areas of Lahaul valley to take stock of the losses occurred due to flood in Tojing Nallah on July 27 in Keylong Division of Lahaul-Spiti and inspected these areas with the team of district administration, BRO and ITBP.
Thakur said 178 persons were rescued on Saturday while 37 people are still stranded in Jahalma, 14 at Fooda and 15 at Shansha. He said out of 10 persons missing in Tojing Nallah, bodies of seven persons have been retrieved and efforts were being made to recover the remaining three bodies. He appreciated the efforts of ITBP rescue team in assisting the local authorities.
The chief minister also visited Shansha Nallah, where roads and bridges had been damaged at large scale. He interacted with officers of Border Road Organization and had discussion on reconstruction of the bridges. Officers of BRO apprised him that machinery has been set up and the work would be started as soon as the water level dips.
Thakur also interacted with the rescued persons including tourists and locals and enquired their wellbeing. Later, he also held discussions with officers of District Administration at Kirting and directed to assess the damages caused due to flood. He asked them to explore alternative roads till the main road was restored.
Tribal Development Minister Ramlal Markanda was also present with the Chief Minister.