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National News
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| Two injured, five houses damaged as landslides strike villages in Shimla | | | | SHIMLA AUGUST 31:-
Two persons have been injured and five houses damaged as landslides struck two villages in Rampur area of Shimla district, officials said on Saturday.
Three houses belonging to Tulsi Das, Lekhraj and Harish Kumar were damaged in Sheel Prog village, while houses of two brothers, Gopi Chand and Pyare Lal, were damaged in Thala village on Friday night, they said.
Pyare Lal and his son Hemant sustained injuries in the incident, they added. Thousands of pilgrims who had embarked on the Manimahesh Yatra, are still stranded in Chamba district, with a majority of them being stuck in Bharmour area. Efforts are afoot to send them home safely, officials said.
Rains in the last few days have led to closure of 560 roads. This include national highways such as the Chandigarh-Manali road, Old Hindustan Tibet road, Mandi-Dharampur road and Aut-Sainj road.
The Chandigarh-Manali national highway was closed again following a landslide near Hanogi Mata temple along the Mandi-Kullu road, with vehicles queued up on both the sides. A police team led by Pandoh police post in-charge Anil Katoch had a narrow escape while patrolling the area, when a portion of the mountain slid down suddenly. Machines have been deployed and a road clearing operation is underway, police said.
Meanwhile, the situation has still not improved in Manali town, which saw massive devastation in the last five days when chunks of land to its right were washed away by Beas river at several points. The bridge to Old Manali area has also been swept away.
Water has entered several shops and houses in Old Manali, said locals Duni Chand and Om Prakash. Priya, another local, said drinking water schemes have been affected due to the flooding of Manalsu drain in the town.
A total of 936 power supply transformers and 223 water supply schemes have also been disrupted, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Out of the 560 roads closed, a maximum of 214 are in Mandi district and 162 in Kullu, SEOC said.
Meanwhile, the local Met office has issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorm in isolated places in Una, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi districts on Saturday and heavy to very heavy rains in Chamba, Kangra and Kullu on Sunday.
In view of rain-related incidents such as landslides and road blockages, the Himachal Pradesh Police on Saturday urged people to remain calm and vigilant, not to spread or believe in rumours, and cooperate with authorities.
In a statement, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Tewari said that satellite phones were made available in Bharmour and other places so that stranded pilgrims can connect with their families. Police personnel are working continuously to clear the roads and ensure smooth traffic flow wherever possible, he said.
The state witnessed moderate to heavy rains in several places in the 24 hours from Friday evening. Bhattiyat in Chamba received 104.0 mm of rainfall, followed by Jogindernagar 86 mm, Rampur 75.5 mm, Dharamshala 69.4 mm, Shimla 62 mm, Nahan 60 mm, Palampur 6 mm, Murari Devi 58.6 mm, Sarahan 45.5 mm, Gohar 43 mm, Shillaroo 41.4 mm and Kangra 40.8 mm.
Thunderstorms lashed Shimla, Kangra, Bhuntar, Jot, Murari Devi, Palampur and Sundernagar, the local Met centre said.
Between June 20 and August 29, at least 164 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, while 40 have gone missing, according to the SEOC.
The state has witnessed 91 flash floods, 43 cloudbursts and 88 major landslides so far. It has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2,774crore in rain-related incidents, the SEOC data showed.
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