Two deaths in Kangra district due to heavy rain in 24 hours: DC

Dharamsala, August 14, 2023: District Magistrate Dr. Nipun Jindal said that due to heavy rain in the last 24 hours, there have been two death reported  in the district, out of which one Praveen Kumar of Una died due to a landslide on a vehicle carrying newspapers near Bathu bridge and in Fatehpur a  11-year-old boy died after being swept away by the strong current of water in Thehar panchayat. He said that three cattle also lost their lives during this period.

Dr. Nipun Jindal said that two search and rescue operations are being conducted in the district with the help of NDRF in Adhwani and Mand. He said that information was received about 70 people trapped in a stone crusher in Jwalamukhi's Adhwani due to an increase in the water level of Beas. He said that till 6 pm, about 40 people have been rescued, while the work of evacuating the rest is going on. The Deputy Commissioner said that people were reported to be trapped in the Mand area of Indora as well. He said that in the ongoing search and rescue operation there, so far 9 people have been evacuated safely with the help of NDRF. He said that the rescue operation will continue in both the areas till the last trapped person is rescued.

While talking to the press in Dharamshala today, he said that in the last 24 hours, a maximum 273 mm rainfall has been recorded in Kangra district, causing damage to private property including public facilities in various areas in the district. Dr. Nipun Jindal said that the district administration is continuously working to restore public facilities and save the people trapped in the disaster by coordinating with all the departments.

He informed that 43 kutcha and 5 pucca houses were completely damaged and 59 kutcha and 10 pucca houses were partially damaged in the district due to the rains. The Deputy Commissioner said that instructions have been given to the officers to provide immediate relief to the affected.

Dr. Nipun Jindal said that a total of 172 roads were blocked in the district due to heavy rain since last evening, out of which 111 have been restored. Whereas 15 roads will be restored by tomorrow and the remaining routes will be restored after August 15.

The DC informed that out of total 660 schemes of Jal Shakti Department in the district, 287 were affected due to heavy rains, out of which 155 have been restored and the work of restoring the remaining schemes is going on on war footing.

He informed that mainly the schemes of Dharamshala and Palampur were disrupted in urban areas, out of which Palampur has been completely restored and the scheme of Dharamshala has been restored around 60 percent.

The Deputy Commissioner said that a total of two thousand transformers of the Electricity Board were damaged due to heavy rains in the district out of which 1300 have been rectified and  electricity board personnel are working to re-operate the remaining 703.

Dr. Nipun Jindal said that due to a red alert for heavy rains in Beas basin, huge amounts of water can be released from Pandoh and Pong dams in the next 24 hours. He said that an additional team of NDRF has already been deployed at the Kathgad temple in Indora to deal with any kind of disaster during this period. He appealed to the people to stay away from the downstream areas of Beas and Pong.