"Himachal will take years to recover...": Jairam Thakur on monsoon disaster across state

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 8 (ANI): The Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Monday expressed grave concern over the devastation caused by continuous monsoon disasters in the state and said that Himachal would take many years to "recover" and stand on its feet again.
The Leader of Opposition also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to conduct an aerial survey of disaster-affected regions in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday before meeting families in Kangra and holding discussions with the state government.
While speaking to ANI, the former CM said, "Tomorrow, PM Modi will also conduct an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas in Himachal, and after that, he will come to Kangra and meet the affected families and will also meet the government. We welcome the PM's visit to Himachal. In such a situation, if this kind of sequence continues, then how will Himachal be able to stand on its feet? Upon assessing the damage, it appears that Himachal will take many years to recover and stand on its feet again."
The BJP leader underlined the widespread destruction across Himachal Pradesh, pointing out that no district had been left "untouched".
"Himachal Pradesh has been continuously affected since 2023 due to the disaster, and not only has it been affected, but there has also been a huge loss of life and property. The infrastructure has been damaged, and the same is the situation in Mandi and Kullu; there is no such district left in Himachal where there has been no damage," Thakur added.
Meanwhile, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Monday reported widespread damage to power lines, roads, and water supply schemes across the state.
The cumulative death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state has reached 366. Of these, 197 fatalities were directly caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses. The remaining 169 deaths were due to road accidents.
According to the SDMA's morning update, a total of 1,181 power lines have been disrupted. Among these, 722 Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) were affected in Kullu, followed by Mandi (127), Chamba (171), Shimla (68), and Sirmaur (76).In addition to power disruptions, 356 water supply schemes have been affected. Shimla recorded the highest number of disrupted schemes at 125, followed by Mandi (79), Kullu (63), Chamba (42), and Sirmaur (12).
The impact on road connectivity has also been severe, with 820 roads damaged or blocked across various districts. Kullu reported the highest number of road blockages with 225 roads affected, followed by Mandi (188), Shimla (141), Chamba (88), and other districts including Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kangra, Solan, Bilaspur, and Una.
"The incessant rain over the past weeks has severely affected road connectivity, power supply, and drinking water schemes, hampering restoration efforts in multiple districts," said an SDMA official.
Additionally, due to the severe impact on essential services caused by heavy rain, the SDMA official stated that restoration efforts continue to be hampered in multiple districts of the state. (ANI)