Landslides shut Manali highway near Pandoh in Himachal

Shimla, Aug 8 (IANS) Traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway between Mandi and Kullu was blocked on Thursday following landslides in Himachal Pradesh owing to heavy rainfall, police said.

The national highway was badly damaged in the landslide that occurred near Pandoh in Mandi district. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the affected area.

The police have stopped to and fro traffic between Mandi and Kullu towns.

The district administrations of Mandi and Kullu have advised visitors to suspend their journey on the Mandi-Kullu route until the restoration of the highway. It is expected that the highway will be restored by evening. However, small vehicles have been diverted to alternative routes between Mandi and Kullu.

Under the influence of an active western disturbance, intense spells of precipitation are likely in the state, an official of the meteorological office told IANS.

A government spokesperson told IANS that the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna rivers and their tributaries are in spate in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts. These rivers enter Punjab and Haryana.

The state government has appealed to the Centre to restore national highways as a priority.

Last week, flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts claimed 22 lives while operations are underway to trace over 30 missing people.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Friday visited the cloudburst site in the Rampur area of Shimla district wherein 33 people, including eight schoolchildren, were reported missing. He also reviewed the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts.

He said five cloudbursts took place in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi and caused widespread damage in these regions. He said 14 motorable and pedestrian bridges, 115 houses, 23 cowsheds, 10 shops and three fish farms were damaged.

Sukhu also said that one national highway and five roads have been blocked due to heavy rainfall.

The Public Works Department has been directed to open the closed roads on priority so that people do not face any inconvenience.