Himachal: Mobile network connectivity restored in parts of state, evacuation of people continues 

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 12 (ANI): Even as rain continues in parts of Himachal, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said that mobile network connectivity has been restored in Manali.
After BSNL Mobile, Landline and FTTH services were restored in Manali on Wednesday, CM Sukhu said that efforts are underway to restore the network in Kasol. 
Chief Minister Sukhu also said that around 50 per cent of stranded tourists have been evacuated from the flood-hit regions and added that the government's priority is to safely evacuate tourists. 
Following excessive rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, CM Sukhu also conducted an aerial survey of affected areas and said the government is working hard to restore road transport and power supply.
Earlier today, the Himachal Chief Minister's Office informed that 2,000 people stranded in the Kasol area have been evacuated so far.
Also, Sukhu announced financial aid of Rs 25,000 each for those seeking shelter in the relief camps and Rs 1 lakh each for those who suffered significant property losses in Pandoh.
Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the situation in the state has improved significantly and the government is working round the clock to evacuate the stranded people from flood-hit areas.
"The situation has improved significantly. The government is working round the clock to evacuate thousands of stranded people from flood-affected areas. We are using disaster relief funds to compensate the victims and begin restoration work as soon as possible. The situation will quickly return to normal," Minister Vikramaditya Singh said.
Thirteen bodies were also recovered from Beas River in the Kullu district.
Himachal Pradesh's Acting Director General of Police (DGP) Satwant Atwal Trivedi on Wednesday said that 13 bodies were recovered from the Beas River in the Kullu district.
The Acting DGP said that the recovered bodies are yet to be identified.  
While speaking to ANI, Acting DGP said, "Yes I got information from the SP Kullu that 13 bodies were recovered by the police from Beas River in Kullu and the identification process is on. We need to send them for postmortem and I will not be able to comment much on this until we don’t have confirmation of identification."
She said many people in the state have contacted the district administration and police authorities and over 40 foreign nationals have been rescued. 
"Over 1500 people who were stranded in different locations contacted Himachal Pradesh Police.  Over 2,000 people were rescued from the Kasol area of the Kullu district till Wednesday afternoon; others in the Lahaul-Spiti district are being moved out from the region," she said. 
"Out of those 2000 rescued people, 40 were foreign nationals who include 14 Russian nationals in Kasol. Some of them were rescued from other parts of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts of the state. Everybody in Kasol including the foreigners are safe. 40 foreigners contacted us and there could be others in other parts of the state but all are safe. All 14 Russians are safe," she added. 
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the flash floods have damaged the national highway and disrupted water and electricity supply.
The Manali Vidhan Sabha constituency has suffered significant damage due to flash floods. Houses, land, and gardens have been destroyed, and the national highway is damaged due to flash floods. The link road adjacent to the bridge is also badly damaged. There is no net connectivity, electricity and water. We have made arrangements to provide food to the stranded tourists," Negi said.
Due to incessant rainfall in the region, many tourists have been stranded in Manali.
Neha, a tourist from Ludhiana, Punjab said, "We want to go home. We were scheduled to return on Sunday but we are stuck due to flood."
Another tourist, Sanjeev Arora, said they have been trying to go back for the past two days.
"We are here in Manali since July 5. The main track is damaged. We have been trying to go back for the past two days. The internet services and electricity supply is disrupted," he added.
The Nurpur police on Wednesday informed that water will be released from Pandoh Dam (Mandi) from 6 pm today to 3 pm tomorrow due to incessant rains in the district.
"People are urged not to go near low-lying areas like rivers, drains and dam areas for the next few days", the Nurpur Police said.
Congress MLA from Manali Bhuvneshwar Gaur hit out at the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) over the poor construction of the highways which were washed away during the flash floods. (ANI)