Union ministers visit disaster-hit areas in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, Sep 13 (PTI) Union ministers of state Savitri Thakur and Shantanu Thakur on Saturday visited several disaster-hit areas of Himachal Pradesh and interacted with the affected families, a statement issued here said.

The ministers reviewed the progress of ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures, it added.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is concerned about this disaster and the Centre is working with full commitment for the rehabilitation and assistance of the affected families," Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said while visiting affected areas in Kullu and Manali.

She also said that the repair and reconstruction of damaged roads are being undertaken to restore traffic movement and provide early relief to the affected population.

Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur also visited the Gushaini, Tirthan and Sainj under the Banjar Assembly constituency.

"I visited the Banjar Assembly and assessed the damage caused in the areas affected by natural disasters," he said and added that "Himachal has been badly affected due to heavy rains and the Centre is committed to restoring normalcy at the earliest".

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh this monsoon. A total of 386 people have died in flash floods, landslides and other rain-related incidents, with the state suffering a loss of over Rs 4,400 crore, said the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). PTI BPL APL APL AMJ AMJ