Week-long rain wrecks Manali

Manali (HP), Aug 29 (PTI) Heavy rain over the past few days has wreaked havoc in the entire Manali region, with swathes of it along the bank of Beas River washed away, turning into veritable riverbeds.

The areas most damaged by the rain were the stretches along the Manali-Kullu National Highway, such as Bhutnath temple-Volvo Bus Stand, Aloo Ground, Bindu Dhank, 18 Mile Bridge, 17 Miles, the areas near the Patlikuhal Police Station, Dohlu Nullah, Raison and localities near the Vaishno Devi temple.

Scores of tourist vehicles have been stranded in Manali town for the past few days, and with road connectivity snapped, their chances of retrieval are diminishing.

Roxanna, a volunteer in a school in Spiti, said, "I have to go back to Spiti but the road is closed and I am stuck in Manali for the past week." Another tourist, Harminder Singh, said, "We came for a one month holiday and have been struck since the last 10 days because of continuous landslides and traffic jams on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway. Now, with my wife, daughter and two dogs, the situation has become difficult." Prateek from Haryana's Faridabad said he had been stuck for hours after a landslide. “It feels miserable sitting in the car," he said.

The situation is also grim for apple orchard owners, as the produce is not reaching the markets.

Apple grower Roshan Thakur said he is expecting a 50 per cent fall in revenue.

Tanya, a class 10 student in the local school said, "Our School has been closed for the past few days and with no electricity and mobile connectivity, our study is severely impacted. I feel nervous about how we will complete our syllabus before the exams." The hospitality sector is one of the worst-hit businesses with tourists staying away from the state due to rains, road cave-ins, and landslides.

Akshay Rana, who runs a cottage on lease in Batahar Village of Manali, said, "In May the Indo-Pak tensions and now the rains have dampened the tourist sentiments. We don't expect to earn our lease money, leave aside any profit this year." Budhi Prakash Thakur, a hotelier and chairman of Himachal Pradesh Travel Agents Association called for the formation of a committee to restore tourism.

He said the government should focus on a detailed road map to rebuild the lost infrastructure on a scientific basis.

The Mandi-Kullu stretch of the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway has been opened for small vehicles, which have also begun plying on the alternate Kamand-Katola-Kullu road.

The Manali-Kullu road is open via the left bank (Naggar-Raison-Kullu) of the river. PTI COR BPL VN VN