Entrance road to Manali blocked

KULLU, AUGUST 24

Incessant rain last night again flooded the Bhajogi nullah in the Manali town due to which water, slush and debris blocked the road near the entrance of Manali town. The nullah had witnessed similar floods earlier on July 13 and 19 after rain. The Volvo bus stand was swamped with slush. However, there were no major losses.

Manali SDM Surender Thakur said that the area witnessed heavy rainfall due to which the nullah caused damages this season. He said that a working plan at an estimate of Rs 5 crore had been prepared by the Jal Shakti department as a stopgap arrangement and it will be sent to the state government. He said that in order to resolve the issue, a detailed proposal of an estimated Rs 50 crore had also been prepared for the channelization of the nullah. This would be sent to the Central government for approval.

Manali Municipal Council president Chaman Kapoor said that the condition of the drains was being improved. He urged people to cooperate in widening the drains in narrow areas so that the damage due to water can be prevented.

The Volvo bus stand in Manali is located on the banks of the Beas river. If Beas is flooded the bus stand bears the brunt. Due to heavy rain last year, Volvo buses parked in the stand were flooded with water. Earlier, a Volvo bus and a few other vehicles were washed away during the floods in the Beas. The long-pending demand of the residents to construct a RCC flood protection wall for the bus stand remains on papers and nothing concrete has been done to solve the problem. The bus stand also lacks basic amenities like toilets and drinking water.