Himachal rains: Watch shocking video of Manali road before and after floods

Chandigarh, July 31

A video of ‘aloo ground’ in Manali before and after the rains has gone viral on social media.

The video was shared on Twitter. Someone commented: “We are playing with nature way too much.” Another wrote: “Make you realise the scale of damage caused by rains.”

On July 9, a portion of the Beas changed its path, flooding the ‘aloo ground’ and taking whatever came in its way.

The drone video showed an unbelievable comparison of the scale of damage caused by the river. The road–which once ran smoothly—lays damaged and is unrecognised. Restoration works are being carried out on a war footing and the government says the roads would be opened soon.

In Himachal, a large number of roads of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Public Works Department (PWD) and bridges have been damaged in the recent flooding in the state. Officials estimated the damage to road infrastructure at Rs 1,800 crore-Rs 2,000 crore.

Also, Himachal Pradesh’s hotel occupancy rate has dropped to almost zero per cent after the recent monsoon fury. The hotel association has announced a 50 per cent discount on room tariffs to woo back tourists and a minister said it was “safe” to travel to the state now.

The havoc wreaked by heavy rains and floods during the month of July resulted in negligible tourist footfall and thousands of bookings were cancelled.

In a video, Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the situation is becoming normal and Himachal is safe to travel now.