Page 32 - Himachal Pradesh

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HP rain fury: Muted I-Day celebrations due to huge loss of life, property

In the wake of the colossal loss of life and property following heavy rains, landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh, the Independence Day celebrations across the state would be ceremonial without any cultural programme. Making the announcement on Monday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state-level I-Day function which was scheduled to be held at Manali has been shifted to Shimla. The chief minister would preside over the programme in Shimla and the Manali would now host a district-level function, a statement issued here said. Only flag hoisting, parade and speech by the chief guest will mark the celebrations at different locations in the hill state, the government said. The local police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel would not participate in the function as they will remain engaged in relief and rescue operations, it added.

51 killed in Himachal Pradesh rains, 14 of them in Shimla landslides

At least 33 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh, seven of them buried under the rubble of a temple in Shimla as rains wreaked havoc in the state, triggering landslides that blocked key roads and brought down houses, officials said on Monday. More people are feared trapped under the debris of the Shiv temple in Shimla's Summer Hill area. The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the Sawan period. This was one of the two landslides reported from the state capital which is still witnessing intense rain. In a second landslide here, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in Fagli area while 17 persons rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier said nine bodies have been pulled out of the debris from a Shiv temple in the Summer Hill area that collapsed and the other site in the Fagli area where several houses were buried under mud and slush. All schools and colleges in the state were clos

Himachal rains: NDRF teams engaged in rescue operations, says Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in relief and rescue operations in rain-hit Himachal Pradesh and termed the loss of lives due to the deluge as "extremely distressing". At least 29 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh, nine of them buried under the rubble of a temple after a landslip in Shimla, as rains wreaked havoc in the state, triggering landslides that blocked key roads and brought down houses, officials said on Monday. "The loss of lives due to heavy rains and landslides at various places in Himachal Pradesh is extremely distressing. NDRF teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations along with the local administration. "I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them the strength to bear this sorrow. I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said on X (formerly Twitter).

Weather to remain cloudy in Delhi NCR on Independence day, predicts IMD

IMD Weather Forecast: The weather department predicts light to moderate thunderstorms on Independence Day in Delhi NCR and issues a yellow alert in Himachal Pradesh from August 14 to 17, 2023

16 killed in Shimla landslides, Solan cloudburst in Himachal, schools shut

A cloudburst in Jadon village of Himachal Pradesh's Solan districts left seven members of a family dead, police said on Monday. Two houses were washed away in the cloudburst that took place on Sunday night and six people were rescued. The dead were identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8) and Raksha (12), Superintendent of Police, Solan, Gaurav Singh said. In another rain-related incident, several people are feared trapped in a landslide at Shiv temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla city.Rescue operations are underway. In view of the heavy rains, all schools and colleges in the state have been ordered to be shut on Monday.

Toll rises to 7 in Solan cloudburst, Himachal CM Sukhu condoles deaths

The incident of cloudburst was reported at Jadon village of Kandaghat subdivision in Solan district of the state, Siddhartha Acharya, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kandaghat said

Estimated loss worth over Rs 7,000 cr in Himachal since onset of monsoon

The monsoon season commenced in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. According to the officials, the monsoon's toll stands at 257 lives lost due to a range of causes

Heavy rains trigger landslides, block roads; schools shut in Himachal

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours triggered landslides, blocking several roads, including the key Shimla-Chandigarh road which was closed for buses and trucks. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in view of the incessant rains, announced the closure of all schools and colleges in the state till August 14, according to a statement issued here on Sunday. In a rain-related incident on Sunday, a conductor of a private bus was injured when a tree got uprooted and fell on the vehicle near ISBT here, officials said. A total of 621 roads, including a maximum of 236 in Mandi, 59 in Shimla and 40 in Bilaspur district are currently closed for vehicular traffic, according to the state emergency operation centre. A key stretch of the Shimla-Kalka National Highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh due has been affected by recurring landslides over the past two weeks, officials said. On Sunday, a large number of heavy vehicles got stranded on both sides of the road at Chakki

National Highway 205 blocked in Himachal near Bilaspur due to landslide

National Highway 205 (NH 205) was on Sunday blocked at Dakesh in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh due to a landslide, said authorities. They also said that two trucks and one light motor vehicle were damaged in the landslide."NH 205 totally blocked at Dakesh due to a landslide. Two trucks & one LMV were damaged. An alternate route is Darlamod to Beri via Kharsi ( single road)," HP Traffic, Tourist and Railways Police posted on X (formerly Twitter). Some of the other roads are also blocked today due to rain-related incidents. According to Shimla Police, Tutikandi-Phagli bypass is blocked near Kanlog; Cart Road is blocked near Edward School, Shimla; Mehli-Badagaon-Shoghi is blocked near Beolia; Shimla-Mandi NH 205 is blocked near Hiranagar.Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh continues to witness the monsoon fury, triggering landslides and flash floods. In that series, a fresh landslide was reported from Bilaspur district on Saturday. The combined death toll from rains, floods, ...

Bus falls few feet after part of Mandi-Shimla highway caves in, 4 injured

Four passengers of a Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation bus were injured after it fell a few feet as a portion of the Mandi-Shimla highway caved in on Saturday, officials said. The bus with 12 passengers on board was on its way to Shimla from Mandi when a part of the road caved in near Kango in Mandi district in the early hours of Saturday, they said. The bus fell a few feet, landing on its tyres and was not buried in the debris, they added. Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) Managing Director Rohan Chand Thakur said the four injured passengers have been admitted to a hospital. According to State Emergency Operation Centre data, 107 people have died in road accidents in Himachal Pradesh during the monsoon season since June 24. The Shimla-Kalka and the Manali-Chandigarh national highways were blocked near Koti and Pandoh, respectively, following landslides triggered by intermittent rain. A total 395 roads are blocked in the state, officials said.

Himachal rains: Death toll reaches 223, CM Sukhu monitors restoration work

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, state Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu was overseeing the ongoing restoration work in the state

CM Sukhu to preside over state-level Independence Day function in Manali

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will preside over a state-level Independence Day event at the Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, in Kullu district, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday. Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Multipurpose Projects and Power, Tourism, Forest and Transport, Sunder Singh Thakur will accompany Sukhu on the day, he said.

Himachal State Handloom and Handicraft Corp to be renamed as Himcraft

Himachal Pradesh State Handicraft and Handloom Corporation Limited will be renamed as Himcraft Corporation, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday. The chief minister announced the new name for the state handloom corporation while presiding over a function organized to mark the 9th National Handloom Day here. The rebranding is intended to enhance the functioning of the corporation and promote its products as a distinct brand in the market. State government-owned Himachal Pradesh State Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation was set up in 1974 to assist artisans and weavers in skill development and growth, procurement of raw materials and marketing of products. Chamba Rumaal (handkerchief), miniature painting, metal craft, Himachali caps are some of the products promoted by the corporation. In a statement issued here, Sukhu said that the government is also mulling to introduce state-level awards for artisans in the handicraft industry. The awards would be in three categ

Himachal govt to provide 50% subsidy on tea-plucking machines, equipment

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to offer 50 per cent subsidy on machines and equipment used to pluck tea leaves to provide relief to the state's tea industry. Small and scattered land holdings, high cost of labour and production, low productivity levels, and not enough tea auction centres are some of the factors hindering tea development in the state, people associated with the sector said. The move is expected to benefit about 5,900 tea growers in Palampur, Baijnath, Dharamshala and Kangra areas in Kangra district, Jogindernagar and Karsog areas in Mandi district and Bhattiyat in Chamba. The landholding of 96 per cent tea growers is less than 0.5 hectares. Earlier, tea growers were not covered under the agriculture tools scheme as equipment used for tea cultivation were different from those used for other crops, Agriculture Secretary Rakesh Kanwar told PTI on Monday. "Now, we have included them and they would get a subsidy for acquiring a certain set of equipment, ...

Wet spell to continue in Himachal till Aug 11; heavy rains forecast for Sun

The wet spell in Himachal Pradesh is likely to continue till August 11, the MeT office here said while issuing a yellow alert for heavy rains on Sunday. Light to heavy rains lashed parts of the hill state on Friday and Saturday, the weather department added. In the past 24 hours ending at 6.30 pm on Saturday, Poanta Sahib received the maximum rainfall at 108 mm, Dhaulakuan 69 mm, Palampur 55 mm, Dharamshala 29 mm, Shimla 27 mm, and Mandi and Mashobra recorded 18 mm each, the MeT said. As many as 278 roads, including the National Highway 5 connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, are closed for vehicular traffic, which has been diverted through alternate roads, officials said. About 201 persons have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents so far since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 6,676 crore, according to the state emergency operation centre.

Himachal CM briefs Cong's Kharge about losses due to heavy rains last month

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Saturday and discussed multiple issues concerning the state, including the losses due to heavy rains last month. Sukhu informed Kharge about the devastation caused by floods and heavy rains in the state as well as the relief and rescue operations carried out by the state government. He also told the Congress chief about the evacuation of tourists from Chandertaal at an altitude of 4,300 metres in Spiti, by his ministers. The Congress government is trying its best to restore normalcy, Sukhu said and told Kharge that he has sought immediate relief from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kharge lauded the efforts of Sukhu for personally monitoring the relief and rescue operations on the spot, according to an official statement. The Himachal Pradesh chief minister also informed Kharge about his meeting with BJP President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Raj

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330 roads closed due to rain-triggered landslides in Himachal Pradesh

Vikramaditya Singh expressed gratitude to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for assuring Rs 400 crore package for flood-hit Kullu district restoration during his recent visit to the state

Himachal monsoon mayhem: 199 people dead, 31 missing till now: SDMA

Out of 199 deaths, 57 were due to landslides and flash floods while 142 people died due to road accidents during the monsoon period