The death toll in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh rose to 74 as another body was pulled out of the rubble of a Shiva temple in the state Capital Shimla and two more people were killed in Chamba district, officials said on Thursday.
Twenty-one of these deaths were in the three major landslides in Shimla alone --at the Shiva temple in Summer Hill and in Fagli and Krishnanagar. Eight persons are still feared buried in the temple debris.
On Wednesday, workers at the Summer Hill landslide site retrieved the body of P L Sharma, head of the Mathematics department at Himachal Pradesh University.
Two rain-related deaths were reported in Chamba district where a person fell from a height and another drowned, taking the death count over the past four days to 74, according to the state emergency operation centre. The state recorded heavy rains for three days, beginning Sunday. After Tuesday, there has been less rain. There were light showers at some places on Thursday.
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, a total of 217 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh. Operations are on at the landslide sites in Shimla. So far, 14 bodies have been recovered from Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishnanagar.
The Indian Army, Air Force and other rescue personnel evacuated 309 people from the flood-affected area in Kangra district's Fatehpur and Pong Dam in Indora. Over the last three days, 2074 people have been evacuated from these areas.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday visited the rain and flood-affected areas of Matehdi, Baldwara, Maseran and Jukain of Sarkaghat assembly segment of Mandi district and met people there and assured them all possible support from the government. Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said the losses in the monsoon season have touched 7,500 crore.
The Schools were closed in Shimla city on Thursday. Officials said 875 roads remain blocked in the state, and 1,135 transformers and 285 water supply schemes disrupted.
HP CM calls for setting up more Automatic Weather Stations
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister on Thursday directed officials to work on a plan to set up more Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) in the state to obtain real-time data related to weather forecasts. At present, there are 23 AWS stations in several places in the state including Shimla, Dharamshala, Dalhousie and Kufri.
Presiding over a high-level meeting, Sukhu directed the departments concerned to take appropriate steps to increase the number of AWS and stressed for setting up a weather observatory centre in the state. Effective steps should be taken to fortify the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and updated equipment and technology should be provided to them during emergency situations, he said.
More hi-tech machinery to lift heavy structures and cutting heavy bar enforcements were required to save the lives trapped underneath in case of any mishap as witnessed in the capital recently, he said, adding that due to heavy rains, a large number of trees were uprooted in different areas of the state while directing officials to ensure proper cutting and disposal of these trees and logs.
He also directed the authorities to make arrangements for a standby helicopter to airlift the critically ill patients in Kullu district as roads are blocked. Sukhu also sought information from the officers about the relief and rescue works being carried out in different areas of the state and directed to provide all possible help to the affected people.