Shimla dist suffers Rs 80 cr rain losses

Shimla district has suffered losses of over Rs 80 crore during the ongoing monsoon, with more than 300 roads, including three major ones, and three bridges bearing massive damage. To assess the devastation, Education Minister Rohit Thakur chaired a review meeting with senior officers of the Public Works Department (PWD) and HPMC today.

In Rohru circle alone, 230 roads were affected — three major district roads and 227 village roads. Three bridges were damaged, one of them washed away in the floods. Of these, 203 roads have already been restored, while work on the remaining stretches is underway and expected to be completed by September 4. Heavy machinery has been pressed into service to accelerate the process.

The minister said NH-705 has been restored for traffic, while restoration of NH-707 is progressing on a war footing and will be made operational by September 4. Thakur directed the departments to expedite the restoration works, ensuring judicious use of the Rs 178 crore Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) funds. He further instructed officers to prepare additional estimates if more funds are required, and stressed that tenders must be floated swiftly so that all works are completed in a time-bound manner.

The HPMC apprised the minister that 31 out of 37 apple collection centres in Gumma and 25 of 28 in Jubbal have been restored. However, nearly 80,000 apple boxes remain stranded due to road blockages and recurring landslides. Several boxes have even been buried under debris, causing huge distress to growers.

Expressing concern over the hardships of horticulturists, Thakur assured that every effort is being made to facilitate smooth transportation of apples. He appealed for patience from the people and reiterated that the State Government is committed to restoring normalcy, providing relief, and extending all possible help to the affected families. Senior officers of PWD, HPMC, and other concerned departments attended the meeting.