Mandi-Kullu highway opened in Himachal Pradesh; Tourists' woes continue

Mandi-Kullu highway opened after 20 hours on Monday night, and many other roads are blocked due to rain and landslides. Tourists' struggle continues amid landslides

The Mandi-Kullu highway reopened after almost 20 hours on Monday night. Tourists' woes continued on Tuesday as several other major roads remained blocked due to landslides in Himachal Pradesh. 

Around 300 roads are still blocked, creating a hassle for hundreds of tourists as they continue to be stuck far from their destination. The Indian Meteorological Department issued an orange alert in the region for the next 24 hours as the situation is expected to remain the same. 

On Tuesday morning, another highway, Tandi-Killar State Highway-26, was blocked due to a flash flood in Dared Nala. Flash flooding is basically a sudden flooding of low-lying areas where the water can accumulate quickly. The flash flood in Himachal Pradesh took place due to incessant downpours over several days. A cloudburst also occurred around Baghi Bridge in Mandi.

The rain has caused a 27 crore loss to the state, Public Works Department Minister, Vikramaditya Singh, stated. He said that the restoration work is being done on a war footing. 

Singh added that the government has identified 350 vulnerable spots and issued preventive measures to ensure that people do not go there. Yesterday, one of the workers also lost his life on the spot. 

"We have also deployed 390 machineries to restore the roads. We shall ensure that all roads are restored," Singh added.

Mandi witnessed the most rainfall in the state, along with it, Sirmaur and Shimla also received rain. The rain is now moving towards Hamirpur and Kangra. It will continue to shower in the state for the next four to five days. 

The Himachal Tourism and Civil Aviation Department yesterday issued an advisory for tourists amid torrential rainfall.

Orange alert in Himachal Pradesh

More than 300 roads were shut due to heavy rain and landslides in Himachal Pradesh. The administration has issued an orange alert for the state. A flash flood warning has also been issued by the administration of Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Kullu and Kangra for 27 June.