Page 5 - Himachal Pradesh

Himachal may 'vanish in thin air' amid ecological imbalance, warns SC

The Supreme Court has flagged the ecological imbalance in Himachal Pradesh and cautioned that the entire state may "vanish in thin air" if the situation does not change. Observing that the situation in Himachal Pradesh has gone from bad to worse, the apex court said climate change is having a "visible and alarming impact" on the state. "We want to impress upon the state government and Union of India that earning revenue is not everything. Revenue cannot be earned at the cost of environment and ecology," a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said. "If things proceed the way they are as on date, the day is not far when the entire state of HP may vanish in thin air from the map of the country. God forbid this doesn't happen," it said. The top court made the observations on July 28 while dealing with a petition against an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which declined to entertain a plea challenging the state's June 2025 notification declaring certain areas as "gr

PM expresses grief over Himachal bus accident, announces aid of ₹2 lakh

The HRTC bus was travelling from Sarkaghat to Durgapur when it met with the accident

8 killed, 21 hurt as bus falls 100 feet off road in Himachal's Mandi

A state-run bus veered off a steep mountain road and plunged 100 feet in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, killing eight people, including four women, police said on Thursday. The accident took place at Tarangla near Maseran when the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus with 29 people, including the driver and the conductor, on board was on its way to Durgapur in the district from Sarkaghat. The state government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. Five people were declared dead at the Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, two at the Government Medical College Nerchowk and one in AIIMS Bilaspur, police said. Seventeen injured people are under treatment at the Government Medical College Nerchowk, AIIMS Bilaspur and RKGMC Hamirpur while four are taking treatment in the Civil Hospital Sarkaghat, they added. The accident was noticed by local residents who immediately informed the police. Mandi SP Sakshi Verma said local police and ambulance teams promptly reached the sit

Monsoon havoc kills 135 in Himachal; landslides, floods claim 76 lives

The death toll has reached 135, of which 76 are due to rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, and electrocution, while 59 deaths have occurred in road accidents

Released ₹9578.4 cr to 22 states in FY26 as share under SDRF: Union govt

The government has released Rs 9578.40 crore to 22 states in the current financial year till July 15 as central share under SDRF to support those affected by natural disasters, Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the financial assistance under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)/ National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the wake of natural disasters is by way of relief and not for compensation of loss as suffered and claimed. "An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) has been constituted for Himachal Pradesh, without waiting for the memorandum, to visit the affected areas of the state for assessment of damages caused by the flash flood/floods, cloudburst and landslides," the minister said. He said according to the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the primary responsibility for disaster management, including disbursal of relief assistance on ground level, rests with the state governments ...

Himachal rains: Death toll at 125, 468 roads, 676 water schemes disrupted

According to cumulative monsoon season data released by SDMA, the total death toll has climbed to 125 since June 20, of which 70 people lost their lives in rain-related calamities

Himachal: 250 roads closed due to heavy downpour; Met issues orange alert

Heavy rains have led to the closure of 250 roads in Himachal Pradesh and the local meteorological office has issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of the state, officials on Friday said. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said that a total of 181 roads are closed in disaster-hit Mandi, 26 in Sirmaur and 23 in Kullu district, while 61 water supply schemes and 81 power distribution transformers were affected as of Friday morning. The Met office has issued an 'orange' alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh on July 21 and 23, and 'yellow' alert, warning of heavy rains at isolated places in the state till Sunday. Light to moderate rain lashed parts of the state on Thursday evening. Jogindernagar received 40 mm of rain, Sarahan 38 mm, Jatton Barrage 28.6 mm, Kothi 28.4 mm, Shilaroo 26.4 mm, Murari Devi 26 mm, and Narkanda and Jot 23 mm each. Since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 17, the SE

Himachal to earn ₹250 cr extra from 18% royalty on Karcham-Wangtu project

A spokesperson for the state government stated that with this decision, the government would receive an annual additional income of approximately Rs 150 crore

Himachal rains: 257 roads, 151 DTR units, 171 water supply schemes affected

Mandi district reports the highest number of disrupted DTRs with 143, and the highest number of water supply schemes disrupted at 142

Flash floods: Is India ready with an early disaster warning system?

A lack of coordination means the IMD, the NDMA, and different state governments must interact with each other to ensure warnings are sent out in time

Himachal govt announces ₹2 crore each for constituencies hit hard by rains

For the repair of roads and other allied works, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Saturday announced a sum of Rs 2 crore each for assembly constituencies hit hard by the monsoon rains. Singh made the announcement in a video, which was also uploaded to his Facebook page on Saturday. Additionally, the minister announced Rs 50 lakhs for all assembly constituencies in the state for the restoration of roads and other infrastructures. There are 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, and the Mandi district has been the most affected, where rain-induced disasters have taken a toll on infrastructure and human lives. So far, since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 11, Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of Rs 751 crore. During monsoon, the state witnessed 31 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 17 landslides, along with heavy rains. And, 92 people have died, of which 56 died in rain-related incidents in the state. Meanwhile, in a statement issued h

Funds won't be a constraint for relief, rehabilitation efforts: Himachal CM

He said that the government has opened almost all the major roads of these areas and the work of opening the link roads of the disaster affected area were going on war footing

Himachal Pradesh: Cloudbursts, landslides claim 91 lives since June 20

15 people died in cloudburst incidents, 36 were killed in road accidents during the same period, with Solan (6 deaths), Kullu (7 deaths), and Chamba (6 deaths) reporting the highest numbers

Centre plans revision of eco-sensitive zone guidelines amid concerns

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has called for a review of the guidelines governing Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around protected areas, stressing the need for a more "flexible" and "site-specific" approach that balances conservation goals with local socio-economic "realities". ESZs are buffer areas created around protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks to protect wildlife and biodiversity from harmful human activities, such as mining, construction and polluting industries. Activities like farming, eco-tourism and the use of renewable energy are usually allowed with restrictions in these areas. Chairing a meeting of the SC-NBWL on June 26, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "Strict protection must be ensured for core areas, especially those that are the origin points of tributaries and critical water resources. However, extending a blanket 10-kilometre ESZs to all protected areas, irrespective of local ecological and

Himachal Pradesh: 7 districts face flash flood risk, 225 roads closed

With heavy rain pummelling several parts of Himachal Pradesh, the local meteorological department on Tuesday warned of a risk of low to moderate flash floods in parts of seven districts in the next 24 hours. These districts are Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur. The meteorological department also issued a 'yellow' alert, warning of heavy rains at isolated places in the state till next Monday. A total of 225 roads, including 153 in the worst-hit Mandi district, are closed while 163 transformers and 174 water supply schemes are affected in the state, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Himachal Pradesh has received 203.2 mm of rain against the normal of 152.6 mm from June 1 to July 8. Mandi district recorded 110 per cent excess rain, Shimla 89 per cent and Una 86 per cent during this period. The monsoon hit Himachal Pradesh on June 20. Parts of the state have been receiving moderate to heavy rain since Monday evening. Gohar has recorded

Himachal CM chairs disaster management meet; focus on training, SDRF

The review focused on intensifying disaster preparedness given the increasingly destructive monsoon patterns and repeated cloudburst incidents in the state

Himachal death toll rises to 80; 52 rain-related, 28 due to road accidents

Rain-related deaths included 14 due to cloudbursts, 8 in flash floods, 1 from landslides, and others from electrocution, drowning, and falls caused by weather events

HPCET counselling 2025: Schedule, registration, seat allotment & more

The Himachal Pradesh Common Entrance Test (HPCET) 2025 counselling schedule has been released by the Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU) on the official website at himtu.ac.in

Himachal flood news: Flash floods wreak havoc in Mandi's Thunag, region covered in debris

Flash floods and torrential rains in Thunag, Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, have caused massive destruction,leaving hundreds homeless.

Himachal rains: Rescue ops on to trace 30 missing, landslides in Mandi

Search and rescue operations are underway with drones and sniffer dogs being used to trace 30 people who went missing after cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the Thunag, Gohar and Karsog subdivisions of Mandi district last week, officials said on Monday. About 250 personnel from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Home Guards, along with the administration and locals, are undertaking the search and rescue work. Besides, 20 teams are gathering information and distributing ration and medical kits in inaccessible areas, officials said. So far, 1,538 ration kits have been distributed to the affected people and immediate relief of Rs 12.44 lakh has been provided. An additional Rs 5 lakh each is being sent to the Thunag and Janjheli areas, they added. About 225 houses, seven shops, 243 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges and several roads were damaged in the disaster. A total of 215 cattle have perished, while 494