Page 27 - Himachal Pradesh

After floods, plastic garbage becoming a threat in Himachal: Scientists

Environmentalists, farmers and locals are worried as the tourists visiting the hills end up discarding plastic garbage in the hills of the Himalayan region

Himachal Transport Corporation suffers loss of over Rs 50 cr: Deputy CM

The Deputy Chief Minister was addressing the media in Shimla where he said that these losses also include the Rs 30 crore operational loss to the state

Cabinet approves Rs 1,100 cr for industrial dev scheme for HP, Uttarakhand

The cabinet on Wednesday approved additional allocation of over Rs 1,100 crore for the industrial development scheme, 2017 for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, sources said. The additional fund was required to meet the liabilities under the scheme up to 2028-29. Under this scheme, the total financial outlay was Rs 131.90 crore. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said. The government provides different incentives under the scheme to companies for investment in these two states, they added. The incentives include access to credit and insurance.

Odisha donates Rs 5 cr to rain-battered HP, CM Sukhu expresses gratitude

Extending support to rain-hit Himachal Pradesh, the Odisha government on Wednesday donated Rs 5 crore for undertaking relief and rehabilitation of the affected population in the hill state. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed his gratitude to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and said liberal donation in the hour of distress will help in aiding the disaster-affected people of the state, an official statement issued here said. The states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have also provided help to the tune of Rs 51 crore to the northern state. Sukhu also appealed to the general public to contribute generously towards the disaster relief fund. He said collective efforts and contributions from across the nation will certainly ensure comprehensive support and assistance to the people affected by the natural disaster. With this, an amount of over Rs 168 crore has been received in the Aapada Raahat Kosh (state disaster relief fund) set u

Himachal open for tourists, Dharamshala air services restored: Officials

Himachal Pradesh is now open for tourists with hoteliers in prominent travel destinations of the state offering lucrative discounts, officials said on Tuesday. Flight services of Alliance Air from Delhi to Shimla and further from Shimla to Dharamshala have been resumed, they added. Tourist resorts of Kasauli, Shimla, Chail, Narkanda, Kinnaur, Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Palampur, Dalhousie and Khajjiar have been reopened and roads to these destinations are safe to travel, Amit Kashyap, Director of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department informed in a statement issued here. Kashyap said tourists can avail of discounts in the current season in most of the hotels in the hill state. The recent spell of heavy rains during monsoon caused disruptions in travel in some road stretches, however, with efforts of the state government to restore the same on a war footing, tourists can now travel to Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and other districts, he added. The monsoon fury in the hill state during July

Govt working on war footing to open roads in disaster-hit Himachal: Sukhu

He said that he would talk to the Prime Minister and home minister if needed

Himachal's PWD minister directs dept to open all blocked roads by Sept 15

He also said that barring any unusual situation in the disaster-hit parts of the state if the roads are not opened by then the officers concerned will have to face the action

Rs 2,000 cr loss to HP's tourism in July-Aug; hotels offer discounts

The tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh suffered losses of about Rs 2,000 crore in July and August, owing to which hoteliers in the state have started offering attractive packages to get back on track. The tourism industry in the hill state, which was in the revival process after Covid-19, received another blow as the monsoon wreaked havoc, leading to low tourist footfall. This sector, which contributes over Rs 14,000 crore annually to Himachal Pradesh's GDP, lost around Rs 2,000 crore during July and August as heavy rains damaged road infrastructure -- the lifeline of the hill state -- and also cast a shadow on the already restricted air and rail connectivity, officials of the tourism department said. The tourism industry has suffered heavy losses and the only silver lining was an influx of devotees in six Shakti Peeths in Una, Bilaspur and Kangra districts of the state," Amit Kashyap, managing director of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), told PTI on ...

112 roads including National Highway blocked due to rainfall in Himachal

Besides this, 12 water supply schemes have also been disrupted. One fire incident has been reported in the past 24 hours, according to government data

Meghdoot app to be upgraded for precise weather forecast: Himachal CM

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to upgrade the Meghdoot application for precise weather forecasts and agricultural advisories to farmers, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday. The decision has been taken in view of the unpredictable and evolving climate patterns, which are posing a significant threat to the state's agriculture and horticulture sectors, he said in a statement issued here. The Meghdoot application presently offers current weather information and a five-day weather forecast, including data on rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction down to the block level, and these factors play crucial roles in the agricultural operations. The chief minister has directed the department of environment, science technology and climate change to make the farmers and horticulturists more aware about this application and the outlined plans for service improvements. During this monsoon, Himachal Pradesh witnessed enormous devastation, severely

Himachal imposes 2-week ban on hill cutting, fresh building permissions

Hill cutting for any kind of private development and construction activity except for rebuilding disaster-affected buildings and roads have been banned in Himachal Pradesh for two weeks up to September 16, a spokesperson of the state government said here on Saturday. Besides, fresh permission for planning and building construction has also been banned for commercial or tourism units in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Solan and Chamba districts for two weeks. The spokesperson said during the ongoing monsoon season, unprecedented environmental disruptions, including catastrophic landslides, land subsidence, river-bank failures and severe erosion, have been witnessed across the state, leading to the tragic loss of lives and properties. He said the decision has been taken to ensure utmost safety for human lives, habitations, infrastructure and to preserve the fragile ecological environment of the hill state. The order shall come into force with immediate effect and violations will be dea

PM calls HP 2nd home but dithers over declaring national calamity: Minister

Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday suggested that the Centre was not declaring the disaster caused by the recent heavy rainfall as a national calamity because the Congress is in power in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly called Himachal his second home but is dithering over the decision despite the fact that 350 people lost their lives, 4,000-5,000 houses were damaged and loss to infrastructure was around Rs 10,000 crore, Singh said. "Is the reason for not declaring a national calamity in Himachal that there is a Congress government in the state," the public works minister asked. The state suffered an additional loss of Rs 10,000 crore as economic activity was hampered which hit revenue collections, he told the media persons here. The Centre declared national calamities in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, and Bhuj, Gujarat, but no such declaration has been made for Himachal Pradesh, Singh said, adding that the state suffered a colossal loss and is

Over 38,000 conjunctivitis cases reported in Himachal Pradesh in August

Himachal Pradesh has registered over 38,000 conjunctivitis cases this month with 1,701 infections reported on August 28 alone, officials said on Wednesday. According to data available with the state's Health Department, Mandi district reported the maximum of 6,084 cases, followed by 5,840 infections in Kangra, 5,797 in Hamirpur, 4,033 in Solan and 3,944 in Chamba. Sirmaur district has recorded 3,855 conjunctivitis cases, Una 3,471, Shimla 2,200, Bilaspur 1,839, Kullu 1,442 and Kinnaur 16, the data showed. The Lahaul and Spiti district has been free from the disease so far. As many as 38,521 cases of conjunctivitis have been reported in Himachal Pradesh between August 1 and 28, Mission Director of National Health Mission Sudesh Kumar Mokta told PTI. Director of State Health Services Dr Gopal Berry said cases of conjunctivitis or eye flu are being reported from different parts of the state with symptoms like redness in the eyes, stickiness, irritation and swelling in some cases. It

Debris, unplanned drainage system behind Shimla's rain damage: Official

Disposal of debris along fragile slopes, unplanned drainage system and unscientific excavation of hills are the reasons behind the immense damage in Himachal Pradesh's capital city Shimla during the recent incessant rains as per the preliminary assessment, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said on Monday. Saxena, who presided over a meeting with the team constituted to review the damage, said Shimla received 552.1 mm of rain in August this year as compared to 514.30 mm in the corresponding period in 2022. He said to reduce the risks related to disasters, special attention should be paid to well-planned construction with proper drainage system as unplanned buildings and diversion of waterways due to choked drains did the maximum damage. He said emphasis should also be laid on safely disposing of the muck excavated during the construction. The senior official asserted that there should be a thorough assessment of disaster sensitive areas of the hill state and emphasis should also be lai

Scheme for student loans at 1% interest will ensure higher education: HP CM

The Himachal Pradesh government has implemented a new scheme this financial year to provide educational loans to eligible students of the state at an interest rate of one per cent, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday. The government is committed to providing quality education and the 'Dr Y S Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojna' will ensure that no youngster of the state is deprived of higher or professional education due to financial constraints, he said in a statement. In his Budget speech in March, Sukhu announced that education loans would be provided at the rate of one per cent to students of the state. Students from families having an annual income of less than Rs 4 lakh are eligible to avail loans under this scheme, he said. The age limit to avail of the loan has been fixed at 28 years as of registration and admission date. Sukhu said a corpus will be maintained at the level of the deputy commissioner in the districts for cases in which the money is required to be ...

IAF conducts HP relief operation, 11,000 kg relief material distributed

Till now, at least 367 people have died in Himachal Pradesh in rain-related incidents this year since the onset of monsoon, the State Disaster Management Authority said on Friday

HP devastation: Efforts being made to restore crucial roadways, says CM

Temporary roads are swiftly being constructed to facilitate the transportation of agricultural and horticultural produce, minimizing financial losses for farmers, the CM added

Integrate HP forest, police outposts to curb smuggling: CM to officials

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday directed officials to integrate forest department outposts with police outposts to combat timber smuggling in the state. Presiding over a meeting of the forest department here, he emphasised the installation of advanced technology, including CCTV cameras, at these integrated outposts. Timber smuggling results in revenue loss for the state government and the forest department should take proactive measures to restrain the illegal trade, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued here. The forests of Himachal Pradesh serve as the lungs of north India and are highly valuable assets for the state, Sukhu said. However, the recent torrential rains have caused significant damage to these trees, resulting in immense losses, he said and stressed prompt removals of the uprooted trees from the forest land and ensuring their proper disposal. Sukhu also reviewed the working plans for harvesting Khair Trees in t

HP rains: 50 people rescued, bridge connecting Baddi-Pinjore washed away

Over 50 people were stranded in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district following a cloudburst and have been rescued by the NDRF, officials said on Friday. The cloudburst took place in Shehnu Gouni village on Thursday and also triggered a landslide that blocked roads at many places. A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) travelled 15 km on foot to rescue the stranded people, including 15 children, and shift them to safe places, the officials said. In another rain-related incident, the Maranwala bridge in Baddi connecting the industrial Baddi area and Pinjaur collapsed on Friday following heavy flow of water in the Balad river due to recent rains. No loss of life was reported in the incident, officials said. "The Maranwala Bridge has been washed away and traffic has been diverted through Kalka-Kalujhanda-Barotiwala road," Superintendent of Police (SP), Baddi, Mohit Chawala told PTI. "We have also written to the SP Mohali, SP Roopnagar (Punjab) and DCP Panchkula to stop en

Irdai directs insurance companies to settle HP flood claims on urgent basis

The relentless floods and landslides that have wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh caused widespread loss to property, including homes and businesses, as well as infrastructure