Rain fury abates, 428 of 923 roads reopen

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 14

Restoration works picked up and 428 of 923 roads, including all national highways barring the Mandi-Pathankot NH, were opened for vehicular traffic on Tuesday.

Of the 495 blocked roads, 192 fall under the Shimla zone, 148 in the Kangra zone, 116 in the Mandi zone and 39 in the Hamirpur zone . Heavy machineries, including JCBs and tippers, have been deployed to clear the roads. Nearly 100 more roads are expected to be cleared by tonight, said official of the PWD.

The supply of essential commodities, including milk, bread etc, was affected in Shimla and upper areas as the Shimla-Kalka highway remained closed from 1am to 6 am due to landslide near Chakki Mor. The road is partially opened and sliding is continuing at a few places, sources in the Police Department said. Roads near Peterhoff, the High Court, Vidhan Sabha, Kalibari temple in Shimla have developed cracks while retaining walls are caving in at several places, posing threat to commuters and residents.

Mandi, which recorded 127.1 mm of rain, was the wettest in the region followed by Guler 61 mm, Sunibhajji 60 mm, Kotkhai 48.2 mm, Kasauli 45.5 mm, Nahan 42.8 mm, Dharampur 41.6 mm, Naina Devi 40.6 mm, Dharamsala 37.4 mm, Shimla 35.2 mm, Solan 34.4 mm and Nagrota Surian 32.8 mm,

Minimum and maximum temperatures further decreased by 1 to 2 degrees and Keylong was the coldest in the night with a low of 10.3 degree C while Una was the hottest in the day. The Met office has predicted a wet spell for six days up to August 20.