Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday (July 10) released a video and requested the people of the flood-hit state to stay indoors for at least the next 24 hours. CM Sukhu said in his video appeal that the heavy rains have been forecast in Himachal for next 24 hours and that people should stay in their homes given the weather warning. "In this hour of disaster, unite and cooperate with the government and stay at home for the next 24 hours," the CM said. The helpline numbers released by CM Sukhu are 1100,1070,1077.
The CM also tweeted about the rescue operations last night in Mandi in which six people were saved. "6 people who were stuck in flash floods at Nagwain, District Mandi have been successfully rescued. Hon’ble Minister @SunderThakurINC himself supervised the rescue operations with NDRF & District Administration till 2am last night," he tweeted.
"The state government has released helpline numbers for respective districts and state emergency operation centre," said an earlier tweet by the CM. Names of district incharges and their numbers are mentioned.
IMD issues warning
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday predicted moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms in various districts of Himachal Pradesh. "Moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms is very likely to continue in the districts of Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi and Kullu in most places and very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places," the IMD said.
The IMD further stated that few locations in the remaining districts are likely to see light to moderate rainfall. "Light to moderate rainfall is likely to occur at a few places in the rest of the districts," said the IMD.
Himachal Pradesh (HP) Traffic, Tourist and Railways Police issues instructions
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh (HP) Traffic, Tourist and Railways Police on Monday took to its Twitter handle and said that the IMD has issued a red alert for various parts of the state and laid down instructions by the local administration, reported ANI. "The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for most districts of the state today, which means there is a "very high risk of heavy to very heavy rainfall". So you avoid unnecessary travel. Stay away from rivers and landslide areas. Please follow the instructions issued by the local administration," tweeted the HP Traffic, Tourist and Railways Police.
Bridge collapses
Earlier, on Sunday the Panchvaktra bridge in Mandi collapsed as heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh continued to batter almost all districts, triggering landslides and flash floods in various regions. Additional District Magistrate, Mandi, Ashwani Kumar said the historic bridge was washed away as the water level of the river rose, reported ANI.
(With agency inputs)
