59 houses damaged in Mandi , families shift to safer places

Tribune News Service

Dipender Manta

Mandi, August 22

The rain disaster has caused considerable loss to the government and private properties in Mandi district in the past three days. As many as 59 houses and 60 cowsheds, several roads, including the Mandi-Pathankot highway, have been damaged because of landslides. Due to damage to their houses, the affected families have taken shelter at other places.

In the Bheuli area, Vimla Lohia’s house was endangred after a nearby retaining wall collapsed. Now, she is seeking help from the government to save her house from collapsing. At Purani Mandi, Sarita Handa’s house suffered partial damage and is on the verge of collapse. She has requested the SDM, Mandi, and the local municipal authorities for help to avert any a major tragedy.

There are reports from several parts of the district about houses and cowsheds getting damaged, while many houses are endangered. The residents of Dunger village have requested the government to shift them somewhere else in the district because a huge crack has developed on the hilltop above the village. Similarly, the residents of Sraj Bagla and Jalpehar villages are facing the landslide threat. At Narla, people living on hill terraces are spending sleepless nights due to the fear of landslides.

A huge partion of the Mandi-Pathankot highway was damaged near Kotrupi, which will take time to restore. In 2017, this road was damaged at Kotrupi after a big portion of Kotrupi hills fell on it, killing 48 persons. However, the government has still not constructed an alternative route. This area is prone to landslides during the rainy season.

Agricultural land and cattle were washed away while roads were damaged. According to information, private and government property worth around Rs 43.89 crore has been damaged in the past three days. The Jal Shakti Department has suffered a loss of Rs 14.66 crore, Public Works Department Rs 27.36 crore, Horticulture Department Rs 17.85 lakh while Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd has suffered a loss of Rs 74.24 lakh.

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