Rain lashes Himachal; 2 national highways among 606 roads closed

Shimla, Sep 18 (PTI) Moderate to heavy rain has affected several areas of Himachal Pradesh, leading to the closure of a total of 606 roads, including two national highways, officials said on Thursday.

Additionally, thunderstorms were witnessed in Shimla, Kangra, Palampur, Murari Devi and Sundernagar while gusty winds with wind speed ranging between 33 to 35 kmph lashed Tabo and Bajaura, the Meteorological Department said.

The national highways affected are NH 3 (Attari-Leh road) and NH-503A (Amritsar-Bhota road). Kullu district experienced the highest number of closures, with 203 roads shut down, followed by Mandi with 198 roads and Shimla district with 51 roads, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Earlier on Thursday, Kangana Ranaut, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Mandi Lok Sabha, faced protests as she was shown black flags and met with chants of "Go back, Kangana, you are late" during her visit to Patlikuhal in Kullu. The actor-turned-politician also visited the disaster-affected areas of Solang and Palchan in Manali, where she interacted with residents and assessed the damage.

Former MLA and BJP leader Govind Singh Thakur briefed Ranaut on the situation, noting that families from 15 to 16 endangered houses have been relocated to safer locations. Locals expressed concerns that the entire Solang village is at risk of landslides due to the erosion of the mountain by the Beas river. They suggested that redirecting the river's course should be an immediate priority.

Since the onset of the monsoon this year, the Himalayan state has witnessed 46 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 146 major landslides, while 424 people have died. Of those dead, 242 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 182 in road accidents. About 481 people have suffered injuries, while 45 are still missing.

The SEOC also reported that 228 power transformers and 221 water supply schemes have been affected, leading to approximate losses of Rs 4,749 crore, so far. The data indicates that 1604 houses were destroyed, while 7025 suffered partial damage. PTI BPL MPL MPL