Lagatar24 Desk
Shimla, July 13: The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, reported that a total of 60,000 tourists have been evacuated by rescuers from all around the state as the state continues to struggle with nature’s wrath and its cruel aftermath.
The Himachal Chief Minister also praised state employees from a number of departments for their contributions to the ongoing rescue and evacuation efforts.
“Until 9 am today, a total of 60,000 stranded tourists have been successfully evacuated from Himachal Pradesh. I am currently stationed in Kullu from past three days, overseeing the ongoing rescue operations”‘ tweeted CM Sukhu.
Until 9 am today, a total of 60,000 stranded tourists have been successfully evacuated from Himachal Pradesh.
I am currently stationed in Kullu from past three days, overseeing the ongoing rescue operations.
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) July 13, 2023
Meanwhile, IPS Satwant Atwal took to her Twitter handle on Wednesday to say that 6 Israeli tourists had been transferred safely to the town of Manikaran, while another 37 were safe and in good health at Barshaini.
“POSITIVE from Manikaran, 6 Israelis have been brought to PP Manikaran and remaining 37 Israeli nationals are at Barshaini and all are safe and in healthy condition,” tweeted IPS Atwal.
The IPS also tweeted that approximately 95 persons, including a foreign national, had been saved and brought to safety in the state’s Sangla, Chhitkul and Raksham regions.
“POSITIVE 95 people including a foreign national rescued, and brought to a safe place at Sangla, Chhitkul and Raksham,” tweeted the IPS.
The Himachal government said that things were slowly returning to normal in the state on Wednesday and that an evacuation operation was in progress despite heavy rain.
Principal Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management), Onkar Chand Sharma, said, “The situation is slowly returning to normal. Phone connectivity and internet connectivity have been restored in various parts of the state. The electricity situation has also improved. Various link roads have been opened. Evacuations are still underway.”
Earlier, the Himachal CM said about 50 per cent of stranded tourists has been evacuated from the flood-hit regions, adding that the government’s priority was to evacuate all stranded tourists.
“Our priority is to safely evacuate tourists and then focus on the restoration of electricity, power and water supply. Deputy CM and other ministers are also taking care of the situation. We have already evacuated around 50 per cent of the stranded tourists. Around Rs 4,000 crores worth of properties have been damaged,” Sukhu said.
Sukhu undertook an airborne assessment of flood-affected districts earlier in the day and declared that his government was putting forth great effort to restore road transport and electricity supplies as soon as possible.
In the meantime, due to persistent rain and road damage, the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Competitive (Preliminary) Examination was postponed to August 20. The exam was initially slated for July 23.
According to information provided by the Disaster Management Authority, the state’s 1,200 water supply projects have been hampered by rain, 2000 energy schemes have been affected and over 1000 roads have been closed as a result.
Additionally, the constant rain caused landslides and flash floods, which severely damaged both people and property in Manali.
