One person died as torrential rains and wide-spread landslides lashed the lake city Nainital on Monday. Boulders came crashing down right on the bustling Mall Road in Nainital to the panic of the denizens of the city. Power and water service were also disrupted across the city in the aftermath of the rains. The residents said that the volume of mud the landslips have spawned on the Mall Road is without precedent. The tourists were forced to confine themselves within the hotels over the past two days with things remaining risky for them to emerge out.
The deceased was identified as Daya Kishan Sati. He died when a tree fell on him on Monday. Nainital district administration announced Rs 4 lakh from the disaster relief fund for the next of kin of the deceased.Besides, the chief minister Harish Rawat also approved an addition ex-gratia of Rs one lakh from the chief minister's relief fund for the bereaved family.The mud-slips resulted in the upper and the lower Mall Road remaining blocked for the past two days. Further, rainwater gushed into many houses in lower pockets of the lake city, leaving the residents in trouble. Several parks, including Pant Park, were seen deeply steeped in mud.
The rainwater and mud got into nearly two dozenhouses in Nainital’s Narayan Nagar and its adjacent areas. This aside, the rains have damaged zila panchayat office in Nainital on Monday.Meanwhile, after visiting the rain-hit sites, Nainital district magistrate, Deepak Rawat asked the officials concerned to clear the affected houses of the boulders and mud immediately. Nainital district administration has asked the officials tokeep the disaster control room (with telephone numbers 05942- 231178 and 05942- 231179 and toll free number -1077 ) in the district openround the clock.Rain disrupted normal life across Kumaon division with roads remaining blocked at many places,including Haldwani.