Shimla-Sunni-Karsog Highway blocked after downpour in Himachal, commuters stranded

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 1 (ANI): Heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has triggered widespread disruption across Himachal Pradesh, leading to landslides, flooding of homes, and road blockages.
One of the worst-hit routes is the Shimla-Sunni-Karsog highway, which has been completely blocked near Devidhar, about 35 kilometres from the state capital Shimla, stranding dozens of vehicles and commuters.
As restoration work had not yet begun at the time of reporting, long queues of vehicles were seen piling up on both sides of the landslide site. The situation has caused significant distress among locals and travellers, with fresh landslides occurring intermittently in different areas.

Ajay, a commuter, travelling from Shimla to Mandi, described the chaos at the site and the helplessness of those stranded.

"I have been stuck here for the past hour. Just before I reached this point, a landslide occurred. A car in front of me narrowly escaped being hit," said Ajay.
"Till now, there has been no response from the administration or the PWD (Public Works Department). We are all just waiting. Due to the heavy rains, we are facing a lot of trouble. Landslides are occurring in several places. I even heard that another landslide occurred behind us. When I spoke to people back home, I found out that water had entered several houses due to the rainfall. There's widespread panic," he added.
Manish, a traveller from Patiala in Punjab, was en route to his in-laws' home in the Sunni area of Shimla district when he found himself stuck near the landslide site.

"I left Punjab last night and have been trying to reach my in-laws' house in the Sunni area, but I've been stuck here for the last hour. The road is completely blocked, and now rocks are also falling from above," said Manish.
"I only have 15 kilometres to travel, but I can't proceed because of the blockage. It's frightening. Landslides are happening again and again, and stones are falling from above. Now all we can do is wait and hope the road opens soon so we can move ahead," he added.
A Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus travelling from Delhi to Karsog has also been stranded with other private and HRTC buses due to the road blockade. The conductor of the bus, Jagdish Sharma, spoke about the plight of the 20 passengers on board.

"We are carrying 20 passengers who had boarded from Delhi. We were on our way to Karsog, but now the road is completely blocked," said Sharma.
"We've informed our higher officials so that arrangements can be made to clear the road. Heavy rainfall has caused widespread damage, and people are facing a lot of trouble," he added.
As per local reports, panic has gripped residents and travellers in the area. Several shops and homes are reported to have been flooded due to continuous rain. The administration is yet to provide an official response or update on when the blocked highway will be cleared.
With fresh landslides being reported from other districts too, the state government and disaster management teams are expected to issue further advisories and initiate emergency response operations. (ANI)