Landslide blocks Chandigarh-Manali highway for three hours

RAIN FURY Landslide took place at Chhadol near Naina Devi at 7am; road connecting Kinnaur with Lahaul and Spiti also remained blocked

DHARAMSHALA : Heavy rains on Sunday wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh by damaging property and triggering landslides at several places.

Chandigarh-Manali national highway was blocked for three hours due to heavy landslide at Chhadol near Naina Devi in Bilaspur. Landslide occurred around 7am on Sunday, resulting in traffic jam on both sides. A truck was also damaged after being hit by a big boulder while a jeep driver had a close shave after he tried to cross the stretch amid rocks falling from the hill.

It took three hours for public works department men and machinery to clear the highway and restore traffic.

Meanwhile, a road connecting Kinnaur with Lahaul and Spiti district remains blocked due to heavy landslide at Malig Nullah on Saturday night. Sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Kaza Jagan Thakur said the road has been closed for traffic. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has pressed machinery into service to open it, he said.

Famous tourist destination Sangla in Kinnaur was also cut off from rest of the district due to landslide on Sunday morning.

In Shimla district, six families were evacuated from Himuda Colony in Vikasnagar after a retaining wall caved in due to heavy rains.

The building has developed cracks due to rains. Shimla deputy mayor Rakesh Sharma visited the spot to take stock of situation.

NAINA DEVI RECORDS HIGHEST RAINFALL

Naina Devi in Bilaspur was recorded the wettest place in the state with 130.8 millimeters rains, followed by Mehre at 128.2mm, Nadaun at 96mm, Galore at 78.5mm, Kangra at 72mm, Una at 64.6mm, Nagrota Surian at 62.4mm, Shimla Airport at 48mm and Sujanpur Tira at 40mm of rainfall. Manali was the coldest at 13.6° Celsius while Bhuntar recorded the maximum temperature of 32° Celsius. Meteorological Centre Shimla has forecasted heavy rains in high and low hills for next two days.

POWER PROJECTS RESUME PRODUCTION

After a shutdown of four days due to heavy silt deposit, three mega hydropower projects in Himachal have resumed power generation. The 1,500 megawatt Nathpa Jhakri plant, 412 MW Rampur Hydro Electric Project and 1,000 MW Karcham-Wangtoo project resumed production.

FAMOUS TOURIST DESTINATION SANGLA IN KINNAUR WAS ALSO CUT OFF FROM REST OF THE DISTRICT DUE TO LANDSLIDE ON SUNDAY MORNING