At least 218 people have lost their lives in the last three weeks while 12 are still missing due to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh during monsoon, the State's Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur informed the State Assembly on Wednesday.
The Cabinet Minister while replying to a discussion on climate change on the third day of the ongoing monsoon session, said the state has suffered a total loss of Rs 451.56 crore due to damaged roads, water lines and power transmission since June 13.
Giving more details, he said that a maximum of 34 people have died in Shimla, followed by 25 in Kangra, 23 in Sirmaur, 21 in Chamba, 19 in Mandi, 18 in Lahaul-Spiti, 17 in Kullu, 16 in Solan, 14 each in Una and Kinnaur, 12 in Bilaspur and five in Hamirpur from June 13 to July 3.
He said that several roads, bridges, PWD property, water lines had been fully or partially damaged due to heavy rains during monsoon in the state.
Earlier participating in the discussion, Congress' Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi said that 70 percent of the crops of farmers in Lahaul were damaged as they were unable to take their ripe crops to the mandis due to damaged bridges and roads.
Attacking the State Government, the Congress MLA alleged that the government failed to manage the situation after a cloudburst in Udaipur subdivision of Lahaul-Spiti district. Several people had to spend some days in a cave as the local Administration could not rescue them, he claimed.