333 roads closed in Himachal Pradesh; likely to open today

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 26

National Highway-5 has been blocked at Badhaal Nalla near Jeori in Rampur area of Shimla district following landslide triggered by a cloudburst.

The Shimla-Kinnaur highway has been blocked, though no casualty was reported.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap said PWD was at work and the road was expected to be opened for vehicular traffic within two hours.

Meanwhile, Manimahesh Yatra has been suspended as a bridge near Pranghala on Bharmaur- Hadsar road collapsed due to heavy rains, the yatra would be resumed after the situation becomes normal, said police sources.

As many as 200 landslides have been triggered during the current monsoon season from July 1 till day and eight cloudbursts have been reported.

The state has incurred a loss of Rs 867.97 crores and 74 persons have died in rain related incidents (landslides and house collapse (42), cloud burst 92), heavy rains (4), lightening (1) and drowning (25).

About 333 roads were closed till yesterday night out of which 211 would be opened by today, PWD officials said.

Normally construction works were closed during the monsoon season but this year they are continuing and construction activities have aggravated the situation.

Himachal received 102.5 mm of rains of rains on August 18, highest ever in August blocking 90 per cent of the states roads and claiming 23 lives in one day.

The local MeT department has predicted rains and thundershowers in low, middle and high hills till August 31.