Shimla, Nov 28 : As many as 343 people lost their lives in the flash floods, landslides, cloud bursts and road accidents during the monsoon causing a loss of Rs 1,600 crore to the public and private properties in Himachal Pradesh.
These figures were released by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur while presiding over the meeting of inter-ministerial central team at Mandi on Tuesday, which was here access the damages the state has suffered due to untimely snowfall and heavy rains.
The Chief Minister said that Public Works department suffered major losses due to damages to roads and bridges etc. The total losses on this account have been accessed to be about Rs 930 crore. He said 405
incidents of landslides and 34 cloudbursts have been reported in the state. The Irrigation and Public Health department suffered losses worth Rs 430 crore while Rs 130.37 crore to agriculture crops and infrastructures.
He said that 343 persons lost their lives due to flash floods, landslides, cloud bursts and road accidents.
The state government has provided ex-gratia worth Rs 13.72 crore for the loss of human life. It was ensured that damaged roads and infrastructures were restored immediately in order to avoid inconvenience to the general public as well as tourists visiting the state.
Mr Thakur said that as many as 4,033 persons were rescued by different means from Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts between 3 September to 1 October, 2018.
He thanked the union government in general and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular for providing all possible help to ensure relief and rehabilitation work in the state. He said that it was on the request of the state government that seven helicopters of Indian Air Force were provided to the state to airlift the stranded people in Lahul-Spiti and Chamba districts. He said that as many as 292 people were air lifted from these districts.
He urged the inter-ministerial central team to recommend for maximum support from the Government of India keeping in view the gravity of losses and damages suffered by the state which were worst in the last 10 years.
