The woes of the tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh did not end on Tuesday despite the Chandigarh-Manali national highway being restored for traffic after remaining closed for almost 24 hours. It has been reported that several other key roads were blocked due to landslides, including Pangi-Killar highway (SH-26) in Dared Nala.
Hundreds of commuters, including tourists, were stranded in Mandi district as the Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked since Sunday evening. The 70-km Mandi-Pandoh-Kullu stretch of the highway was blocked at Khotinallah near Aut, about 40 km from Mandi town, following flash floods while the Mandi-Pandoh stretch was blocked near 6 Miles after a landslide.
The situation is likely to remain the same as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the next 24 hours.
Light to moderate rains continued to lash several parts of Himachal Pradesh and the MeT office has issued a warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places on June 28 and 29 and thunderstorm and lightning on June 30 and July 1.
A total of 301 roads were closed in the state following heavy rains, while 140 power transformers were disrupted. Flash floods were witnessed in Khotinallah near Aut, about 40 km from Mandi town, on the Pandoh-Kullu stretch due to a heavy downpour.
Nine people have been killed in rain-related incidents, including landslides, and drowning, in the state so far, according to the data shared by the state emergency operation centre. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 102 crore in rain-related incidents.
The Jal Shakti Vibhag suffered maximum damage of Rs 73.68 crore followed by the Public Works department (PWD) which suffered a loss of Rs 27.79 crore, according to the data.
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has issued an advisory for the tourists. In a statement, its chairman R S Bali advised tourists to always keep the GPS location of their mobile phones on, to commute on the guided routes only and figure out weather updates and drive slow.
He said tourists should avoid rash driving and instead enjoy their journey while maintaining the sanctity of the hilly regions.
The assistant inspector general of police (traffic, tourism and railways), in an advisory, asked people to refrain from engaging in any water sports. “Commuters and general public are advised to avoid visiting riversides and areas prone to landslides," it said.
A local report quoted the advisory as stating that public transporters have been asked to drive carefully and avoid unnecessary stops at landslide-prone areas and road construction sites. In case of any distress, people have been asked to dial the emergency number 112/1077 and contact with the local police by searching online.
