IAF chopper requisitioned to airlift stranded tourists in Himachal Pradesh

A helicopter from the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been requisitioned to airlift the tourists stranded at Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh while a rescue team from Kaza has reached Kunzum Top and is just eight kilometres away from the lake, Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma said on Tuesday.

Around 300 people, mostly tourists, are stuck in camps at Chandertal, located at an altitude of 14,100 feet, following rain and snowfall in the region.

"Two of them were facing breathing issues due to the high altitude and they would be airlifted," Sharma said.

All the stranded people would be evacuated to safe places by Tuesday night, he said, adding that about 100 people were rescued from different places in the hill state on Monday.

Two teams have been deputed for road restoration -- one from the Losar side and the other from Kaza. The team comprises members of the administration, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), police and local villagers, the officials said.

Sharma informed that since the onset of monsoon on June 24, the state has suffered a loss of Rs 780 crore and the figure is expected to go up as excessive damage has been caused to roads, bridges and water supply schemes.

As many as 1,239 roads, including the Shimla-Kalka and Manali-Chandigarh national highways, are blocked due to heavy downpour over the last three days, according to the state emergency operation centre.

Bus service is suspended on 1,416 routes of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) while 679 buses are held en route, transport officials said on Tuesday.

The supply of essential items was hit in several areas of the hill state, including Shimla and Manali, as the Chandigarh-Manali and Shimla-Kalka national highways were closed following landslides, caving in of roads and flooding.

Several areas in Kullu and Mandi remained without electricity as 2,577 transformers were disrupted while the water supply was also affected in several areas, including state capital Shimla, as 1,418 water supply schemes have suffered damage.

Manali town and the adjoining areas remained cut off for almost a day as roads were blocked due to landslides. Mobile connectivity has also been disrupted.

The rains have stopped since Monday evening and the rescue operations and road restoration work have gained pace as the water level in the rivers has subsided, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said. "We are hopeful that mobile networks would start working in Manali during the day," he added.

Men and machinery have been deployed to restore road connectivity in Manali, Kasol and the Parvati valley and the Manali road would be cleared for light vehicles soon, Garg said, adding that relief camps have been set up in Kullu and Manali and those stranded are being taken care of.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu would visit Kullu, Lahaul and spiti and Mandi during the day, and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas.

There were also reports of landslides in Shamti, in the suburbs of Solan, damaging two houses and an office.

The meteorological department has warned of the possibility of moderate to high flash floods in Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

Heavy to very heavy rain lashed parts of Sirmaur, Shimla, Mandi and Kinnaur districts. Nahan received 250 mm rain, followed by Dhaulakuan (138.5 mm), Jubberhatti (90 mm), Kufri (67 mm), Narkanda (65 mm), Shimla (64 mm), Mashobra (60.5 mm), Kalpa (48 mm), Reckongpeo (42 mm), Mandi (46 mm) and Sundernagar (45 mm).