Himachal Pradesh officials, engaged in rescue and relief operations are a worried lot as the meteorological department on Monday alarmed with a warning of heavy to very heavy rains in the State for next 72 hours.
Nearly 400 people are still stranded in rain devastated Kinnaur district at Sangla and Pooh areas and efforts are on to rescue them and bring them to safer places. Two choppers including that of state and IAF are grounded at Annandale in Shimla due to bad weather and waiting to open up. With weather department sounding warning about the rains, officials have started mulling alternate strategies to evacuate the stranded people.
“Roads have been opened upto Reckong-Peo and efforts are on to send the stranded people through roads to Shimla and other places,” said chief secretary Sudripto Roy adding that depending on the weather conditions more sorties will be made to evacuate the people from Sangla and Pooh.
Director meteorological centre Manmohan Singh said that weather conditions will not be good for next 72 hours and heavy to very heavy rains are likely to take place at isolated locations. “This is due to low pressure area and axis of monsoon,” said Singh.
Slight rains were witnessed on Monday morning at Shimla and adjoining places and according to officials due to inclement weather condition and change in air pressure around 100 people were evacuated from Kinnaur.