Page 28 - Himachal Pradesh

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

Over 50 people rescued, bridge connecting Baddi-Pinjaur washed away in HP

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 industrial Baddi area and Pinjaur collapsed on Friday following heavy flow of water in 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, Baddi, Mohit Chawala told PTI. Heavy rains in the state have led to closure of 709 roads. So far 242 people have died in rain-related

Himachal rains: Buildings collapse in Kullu, landslides block highway

A row of buildings in Kullu district collapsed Thursday and hundreds of travellers were stranded in relief camps after landslides blocked the road to Mandi in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh. On Wednesday night, there were over 900 people at camps near Pandoh on Kullu-Mandi road. Three more bodies were recovered on Thursday from the rubble of the landslide that buried a Shiv Temple in Shimla's Summer Hill area on August 14. The seven or eight buildings which collapsed in Kullu's Anni town had been vacated earlier and there were no casualties, officials said. Authorities have ordered the closure of all schools in Shimla on Friday. About 120 people have died in landslides and other rain-related incidents in the state this month, about 80 of them since August 14. Altogether, 242 people have died in Himachal Pradesh since the monsoon began on June 24. Officials said stranded people on the Kallu-Mandi highway were shifted to relief camps set up in hotels, rest houses and residential ho

Torrential rainfall in Himachal wreaks havoc, 8 buildings collapse in Kullu

At least eight buildings that had developed cracks and were declared unsafe following recent rains collapsed in Anni area of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday, throwing up large clouds of dust and debris. There were no casualties. The buildings housing shops, banks and other commercial establishments had developed cracks four-five days ago, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Anni, Naresh Verma, who was at the spot, said. The buildings were declared unsafe and vacated recently, he said. The assessment of damage is being done and some other unsafe buildings along the National Highway305 in Anni have also been vacated as a precautionary measure, the official added. As many as 120 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state this month while a total of 238 people have died and 40 are still missing since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. Himachal saw three major spells of heavy rains this Monsoon. The first on July 9 and 10 led to large-scale ..

Massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh, buildings collapse in Kullu

IMD issues red alert, warning for heavy rainfall over the next two days in the state

Himachal: Kullu-Mandi Highway damaged after heavy rain, vehicles stranded

"There is a traffic jam stretching to nearly 5-10 kilometres. We have nothing to eat or drink. People are starving here. The snarl should be cleared soon," a commuter told ANI

CM Sukhu-led Himachal govt allocates Rs 165.22 crore for restoration works

He said that the State Government was working round the clock to ensure safety of life and properties

IMD issues red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in HP for next 2 days

During the past 24 hours, Shimla recorded 190 mm of rain, and during one hour, it recorded 60 mm of rain in the morning, an official said

Himachal govt orders immediate closure of stone crushers near Beas river

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to immediately stop the operations of all stone crushers on both perennial and non-perennial rivulets of the Beas river basin and its tributaries, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. The decision has been taken after considering the alarming transformation of the ecosystem during the current monsoon which saw excessive heavy rainfall and landslides, wreaking havoc downstream in the Beas river basin and its tributaries in Kullu, Mandi Kangra and Hamirpur districts besides Chakki rivulet in district Kangra, an official statement issued here said. It said the decision will ensure the safety of human settlements and infrastructure and to preserve the fragile ecology and environment of the state. However, the lease of legal mining has not been cancelled. Sukhu said directions had been given to the Department of Environment, Science and Technology and Climate Change to convene a high-level consultation meet inviting experts

12 killed in heavy rains in Himachal, MeT issues alert for 6 districts

Heavy overnight rains triggered landslides in Himachal Pradesh, claiming four lives and blocking over 200 more roads besides damaging some houses, officials said on Wednesday. The meteorological office on Wednesday issued a red alert predicting "heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated spells of extremely heavy" rains in four of the state's 12 districts for the next 24 hours. A total of 530 roads in the state are now shut following three major spells of heavy rains this Monsoon that have left a trail of death and destruction. Shimla town was the most hit, with landslides and uprooted trees blocking the main cart road, the lifeline of the town as well as the Shimla-Mehli bypass at several points. Many houses have also developed cracks and people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. A migrant identified as Jhalo and his wife Rajkumari were found dead in their makeshift house in Baldeyan area of Shimla district, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told