63 tourists evacuated from flood-hit Janjehli in Mandi district

In a major relief operation, 63 tourists stranded in the Janjehli area of Seraj in Mandi district due to heavy rains and landslides were safely evacuated by the district administration today. The tourists, hailing from various states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu, were trapped in a private hotel as road connectivity was severely damaged due to the recent natural disaster.

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The tourists were brought out safely via Raighad, Shankar Dehra and Karsog with full police protection. Upon arrival in Shankar Dehra, they were welcomed by Karsog sub-divisional administration officials, including Tehsildar Dr Varun Gulati and Naib Tehsildar Shanta Shukla, who also provided them food supplies.

The Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, Apoorv Devgan, said the tourist group got stuck in Janjehli due to extensive road damage caused by cloudbursts and landslides. He said the district administration, in coordination with the Public Works Department and other agencies, worked tirelessly to restore road access up to Janjehli via Karsog, enabling the safe evacuation of tourists. The restoration of the road also helped accelerate ongoing relief and rescue operations in the region, he said.

Many of the rescued tourists expressed gratitude to the state government and the local administration. Ajay Saini from Ambala and his wife shared, “We came for a one-day trip, but got trapped due to disaster. The administration took good care of us. We faced no problems. We are thankful for the support.”

Vaibhav, a tourist from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, said, “We are thankful to the state government, especially the Mandi Deputy Commissioner, who stayed in constant touch with us and even helped us connect with our families.”

The list of evacuated individuals includes families from cities such as Panipat, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Faridabad, Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Rohini (Delhi) and Chennai. The tourists were safely sent towards their home destinations with full logistical and police support.