PM Modi to visit Himachal on September 9 to assess rain-inflicted damage, says former CM Jairam Thakur

Jairam Thakur

BJP leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the state on September 9 to assess the damage caused by the recent heavy rainfall.

"Day after tomorrow, the Prime Minister is coming to Himachal Pradesh to take stock of the loss of life and property due to the heavy rainfall here. I will also go to Dharamshala to attend that meeting and brief him about the situation here...," Thakur, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, told ANI.

Prime Minister Modi will also visit Punjab on September 9 to take stock of the flood situation.

Himachal Pradesh, grappling with the relentless monsoon, continues to face significant disruptions to public utilities, with hundreds of roads, power transformers, and water schemes affected.

The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) reported a high number of disruptions as of 10:00 a.m. on September 7.

The cumulative death toll, since the start of the monsoon season, has reached 366, with fatalities from rain-related incidents and road accidents reported separately. Of the total deaths, 203 were due to rain-related incidents, while 163 were a result of road accidents.

According to the latest status report from the SEOC, a total of 866 roads were blocked across the state as of the morning of September 7. This includes three National Highways: NH-03, NH-05, and NH-305.

Kullu is the worst-hit district of the state in terms of roads blocked, followed by Mandi and Shimla.

The maximum number of road blockages was reported in the Kullu district, with 225 roads affected, followed by Mandi with 191 and Shimla with 154. The primary cause for these blockages is heavy rainfall.

The number of road blockages in other districts was reported as: Chamba (116), Sirmaur (45), Kangra (42), Una (33), Solan (22), Bilaspur (18), Lahaul & Spiti (11), Kinnaur (6) and Hamirpur (3).

Power supply has also been severely affected, with 1,572 Distribution Transformers (DTRs) out of order. The Kullu district was the worst-hit, with 873 disrupted DTRS, followed by Mandi with 259 disruptions and Lahaul & Spiti (L&S) with 142.

With inputs from ANI