Stuck in Nerwa, 553 girl students rescued

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 21

As many as 553 girl students, along with 61 teachers, stranded at Nerwa for the past three days, were rescued today after the Chopal-Nerwa-Theog highway was opened to traffic. They had come to Nerwa for taking part in a sports tournament

However, over 20 apple-laden trucks continued to remain stranded in Dewat panchayat for the past four days as the PWD failed to restore the 10-km Kumra-Dewat-Chopal road. Kupvi tehsil remained cut off from Chopal even after five days.

The PWD requisitioned a machine to cut the rock at Radat nullah, 4-km short of Chopal. The culvert raised on the debris was washed away on Sunday.

ADC, Shimla, Apurv Devgan visited Nerwa and Kupvi to take stock of the damage to roads, crops, IPH schemes and other infrastructure.

DC Amit Kashyap visited Jubbal and Rohru and took stock of the restoration works and said 95 per cent of the work was complete and directed the local administration to speed up the restoration of rest of the roads.

A delegation of Kanam, Asrang, Batsari and Kamru villages in Kinnaur district led by vice-chairman, State Forest Corporation, Surat Negi called on Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and apprised him of the losses the area had suffered due to rain.

In numbers

• Roads blocked 655
• Shimla zone 226 
• Mandi zone 334 
• Hamirpur 53 
• Kangra 42 
• Total damage Rs 462.26 crore