Relief and rescue operations being carried out on a war footing

Shimla, July 10- A spokesperson of the State Government said here today that to provide relief to the people suffering from heavy downpours and landslips over the last two days, the work of relief and rescue operations were being carried out going on war footing He said that Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was monitoring the situation 24X7 and giving was necessary directions to the concerned officials. He said that adequate men and machinery had been deployed for the same and all the district officers and officials along-with public representatives and disaster management teams were engaged to mitigate the situation arisen due to landslides and flash floods.

The District Administration Mandi rescued six people who were stranded in a river near Nagwain on late Sunday night from the fury of the Beas river. Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Sunder Singh Thakur and Deputy Commissioner, Mandi Arindam Chaudhary were present on the spot during the rescue operation which lasted till around 2 AM. He said that District Administration Mandi got 113 houses evacuated in the wake of flood like situation in Beas and other tributaries today.

He said that 60 houses have been evacuated in Pandoh, 10 in Ghraan, 12 in Khaliyar, Purani Mandi, 25 in Bhueli and 6 in Paddal. He said that 29 people stranded at Potato Ground have been safely evacuated by Home Guard jawans at Manali in Kullu district. All possible efforts were being made to provide relief to the people trapped, he added.

The spokesperson said that an intensive operation has been launched to trace the eight missing local people at Lohardi in Baijnath area of district Kangra. He said that due to water logging in the slum area at Lalsingi in Una district, 515 labourers have been shifted to safer places. Food and other necessary daily needs have been arranged for these migrant labourers by the District Administration, Baba Rudranand and Mahadev Trust.

He said that the control rooms set up by the state government at the state emergency operation centre and district level to monitor the flood situation in the state were in constant coordination with the concerned authorities and relief and rescue teams. He said that helpline numbers had also been released by the State Government for providing assistance to the people in case of emergency and for information-coordination.