Central team visits Kullu to assess rain damage

An inter-ministerial central team today took stock of extensive destruction caused by cloudbursts, flashfloods and landslides in the Kullu valley. The team set out for a ground survey after a briefing and presentation at the Multipurpose Hall of the Circuit House, Kullu, where officials outlined the extent of losses suffered. It covered some of the worst-affected locations in both Kullu and Manali, reviewing the widespread damage caused to homes, roads, bridges and essential infrastructure.

The team first visited Solang village in the morning and examined a collapsed road, damaged shops and disrupted water and electricity networks there. It later moved to Bahang and inspected the deteriorating condition of a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) road, a section of which had sunk steadily. The next halt was at Old Manali where a bridge and surrounding water supply and electricity structures had suffered serious damage. At the Green Tax Barrier and in the APMC area at the Aloo ground, the team reviewed damage caused to civic structures and later had lunch at the Circuit House, Manali.

The team then passed through Chachoga and the Patlikul bridge via Naggar to examine broken roads, damaged houses and the weakened bridge abutment. It passed through Chhururu via Raison where flashfloods had washed away a large portion of the road, leaving several houses unsafe. It inspected a sewage treatment plant at Lanka Baker, which had been battered by debris and floodwaters.

Later in the evening, the team reached Inner Akhara Bazaar in Kullu town, where nine persons had died and several houses had suffered severe damage due to repeated landslides since early September. It finally visited Suma to assess disruption in water supply schemes and subsidence at Bagan village, where several houses and electricity infrastructure had been damaged, and later returned to the Circuit House, Kullu, for the night halt.

The team’s visit comes at a time when Himachal Pradesh is reeling under losses estimated at over Rs 4,000 crore due to heavy rain, flashfloods and cloudbursts. Kullu and Manali are among the hardest-hit places, as more than 200 roads are blocked in the district.