Minister reviews disaster damage

Education Minister Rohit Thakur on Saturday visited the disaster-hit Jubbal-Kotkhai-Nawar region to assess the situation following recent heavy rains and landslides. He assured residents that restoration of basic facilities is being carried out on a war footing and will be completed within a week to minimise hardship for people.

Thakur said northern India has faced unusual rainfall this year, with Himachal Pradesh bearing severe losses. During his visit, he inspected damaged areas and chaired a review meeting with senior officials at Hatkoti.

“At least one person has lost their life while 143 houses have been damaged in the region due to torrential rains,” he said.

The minister highlighted that roads in Upper Shimla, including NH-705 and NH-707, have been badly affected with an estimated loss of Rs 37 crore. In Jubbal, 21 out of 172 roads remain blocked causing losses of Rs 57 crore, while in Kotkhai, 33 of 126 roads are still closed, leading to losses worth Rs 43.8 crore. In Tikkar, 13 of 39 roads are blocked, resulting in losses of Rs 12 crore.

Thakur noted that essential services have been disrupted. The Electricity Board suffered damages of Rs 2 crore in Jubbal and Kotkhai and Rs 14 lakh in Tikkar. Additionally, 131 water supply schemes in Jubbal-Kotkhai and 67 in Tikkar remain disrupted, amounting to losses of nearly Rs 9.47 crore.

Directing officials to accelerate road clearance, Thakur emphasised the importance of restoring smooth transport for the apple harvest season. “Large numbers of machines and workers have already been deployed and more will be added for faster relief operations,” he said.

The minister also reviewed apple procurement under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). He said 77 purchase centres, operated by HPMC, are functioning smoothly and farmers are receiving timely support.

Thakur assured that he will revisit the constituency soon to personally monitor restoration progress and address people’s concerns.